Friends 'til the End
by Redawilo
Summary: Black sets out on a dangerous journey across Unova. This is the recording of a Nuzlocke run! Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

I want to say right off the bat that this is both my first Nuzlocke run AND my first (hopefully) full playthrough of any Gen V game. Although I am using the generic character 'Black', his thoughts are my own. So if it bothers you, pretend he is me instead of shouting at me for writing him OOC.

The T rating is because I can have a foul mouth, and therefore so can Black.

* * *

"_Fuck me."_ Black thought, groaning heavily as he stood in his room. _"This is the stupidest shit ever. Why was I born in Unova? Why couldn't I have been born in Kanto, or Johto, or Sinnoh, or hell even Hoenn would be better! But no, here I am, a slave of stupid Unova. For Christ's sake this region looks like a Q!"_

Beside him another young man, Cheren, stood waiting. He was impatiently tapping his foot. "What is taking her so long…" he muttered.

No sooner had he spoken than a young woman came darting up the stairs and into Black's room. "Sorry I'm la-"

"Late as usual!" Cheren snapped, interrupting her.

"Sorry!" she cried. "So, are they here? Today's the day we get Pokemon, right?"

"Yes, Bianca. Professor Juniper is giving each of us a Pokemon, and they're all in that box there." Black said, gesturing to a large blue present sitting on a table in his room.

"Eh? Really? Wow! Black, since it was delivered to your house, you should pick first!" Bianca said happily.

"I agree. Black, you choose first." Cheren added.

"_You just want to make sure yours has the type-advantage, Cheren…"_ Black thought to himself as he tore off the green bow and opened the lid. Sure enough, three ordinary pokeballs sat waiting inside. _"Snivy, Oshawott, and Tepig. Aw man, all three of these are so bad. I can't pick. I know! I'll leave this up to chance."_ Without saying a word, he ran to his desk and retrieved a handful of dice.

"What are you doing?" Cheren asked.

"Deciding. Hold your horses." Black grumbled, rolling the dice onto the table.

"Don't you see Cheren? These Pokemon are going to be our new friends! Black just wants to be sure he makes the right choice." Bianca giggled.

"_Hm, only rolled a three once, so Tepig is out. But the other two I rolled equally. Very well, I'll roll again." _Black picked up the dice and rolled again. _"Not Oshawott. Not Oshawott. PLEASE not Oshawott. Anything but that stupid mudkip/snowman lovechild!"_ The dice came up having rolled for Snivy twice. _"Shit…"_

"Alright, I choose Oshawott." Black groaned, picking up the pokeball belonging to the blue sea otter.

"So cute!" Bianca said. "Then I want Tepig. Cheren, you can have Snivy!"

"Wait a second, why you get to choose my Pokemon for me?" Cheren snapped. "…Well that's fine. I did want Snivy after all."

"_Knew it."_

"Oh, this is so exciting! Our very own Pokemon…" the young woman said, looking at her pokeball. "Black! I have a great idea! Pokemon get stronger when they battle, right? So let's have our new Pokemon battle each other!"

"Hold on, think about this Bianca. We're in Black's room." Cheren objected.

"_Thanks for at least being a voice of reason here…"_

"It'll be fine! These Pokemon are still small. Nothing bad will happen. Now come on Black, let's battle!"

**EPIC BATTLE ENSUES! Two pint-sized Pokemon shoving each other around a tiny room! Truly this is a battle unlike any ever seen before! Or it could just be a typical first battle between starter Pokemon, if you prefer being a spoil-sport.**

"Oh wow, you're really good at this, Black! You totally beat me!" Bianca said all too happily.

"_Bitch, you messed up my room! My mom is going to kill me!"_

"Uh, Bianca, you might want to take a look around…" Cheren murmured.

The young woman blinked a few times and glanced around the room she had just finished battling in. It was a mess. The only things that seem to have remained untouched (strangely enough) were the TV, Black's PC, and the Nintendo Wii. It took a few moments to register for her.

"Oh my gosh! Did our little Pokemon do that?" _"No shit, Sherlock."_ "Wow! Even though they're small, Pokemon are really strong!"

Cheren sighed. "At least let me heal your Pokemon…" he said, picking the defeated Tepig up off the floor and treating it to a revive, a potion, and a couple ethers. "And yours too, Black." He said, shoving the fire pig into Bianca's arms and giving similar treatment to Black's Oshawott.

"You're so good at this." Bianca said while Cheren did his thing. "Hey, I know, Black and I shouldn't be the only ones to battle! Cheren, you should too." She hopped up and down a few times and quickly moved to the side.

"Hm, I must admit I do want to battle. And I can't mess up this room more than you have. Alright Black, let us see who is stronger!"

**EPIC BATTLE ENSUES! Two pint-sized Pokemon shoving each other around a tiny room! Truly this is a battle unlike any ever seen before! Or it could just be a repeat of the same damned battle that happened two minutes ago. You know, if you prefer being a pessimist.**

Once again Black and his lame mudkip/snowman lovechild were victorious. The Oshawott even gained a level! In excitement, the three decided to go and thank Professor Juniper and see if there was anything she needed from them in return. Back's mother greeted them as they came downstairs, claiming far too cheerfully that she had heard the ruckus upstairs. When Bianca and Cheren both apologized for wrecking Black's room, the woman assured them that no harm had been done and that she would take care of _everything_ for them, and that going to the professor was far more important. For some reason Black had a very bad feeling about this.

At the lab, Professor Juniper began to explain why she gave Pokemon to Black and his friends. Already knowing what she was going to go on about, Black zoned out and began to think what he should do about his Oshawott. Even though he didn't want it, he knew it would be a bad idea to just cram it into a PC or release it. Only when the professor spoke to him directly did he remember he was actually in the lab for a reason.

"Do you want to give your Oshawott a nickname?" she asked.

"_Do I? It's not like I'm going to be attached to this thing."_ Black thought, releasing his Pokemon as he saw Bianca and Cheren had theirs out too. Black looked down at it, and it smiled happily up at him, waiting impatiently to hear the name it would be called for the rest of its life. "...I'm gonna call you Kenny."

The little sea otter looked like it had been stabbed in the heart and tears formed in the corners of its eyes.

"Kenny? But your Oshawott is a girl!" the professor exclaimed.

"No. Kenny's fine." Black confirmed.

Deciding it was a lost cause, the professor finished up her explanation and handed each of the youths a Pokedex. On their way out, Bianca stated that she wanted to speak to her parents, and that Black should do the same. Reluctantly, Black agreed. It _would_ be awhile before he saw his mother again. She'd probably like to know where he was going.

To his surprise, Black's mother seemed to already know that he would be leaving to help Professor Juniper fill the pages in the Pokedex. With a quick hug good-bye, she happily sent Black on his way. The young man then decided he should check up on Bianca, knowing she would probably be late otherwise. As he approached her house, he could hear loud yelling coming from inside. The front door was open a few inches, so he went on inside.

"-to go out there! You hear me? You have no real-world experience!" Bianca's father was shouting at her.

"I don't care what you think! I have a Pokemon now! This is my chance to see the world! I'm leaving!" she shouted back, turning on her heel and pushing passed Black as she ran out. Without a word to her fuming father, Black went out after her.

She was standing just outside, wiping the tears that were streaming from her eyes. "I will do this. I have to. Professor Juniper is counting on me! Black, you and Cheren can't be the only ones who get to go on an adventure. I get to come, too. You believe I can do this, right?" she asked, not looking at him.

"_If you're asking me, then you probably won't be able to hold up to this for very long."_ The young man gave a shrug. "I think you're old enough to do what you want if you have a Pokemon. Besides, the professor asked you to." He stated in as friendly a tone as he could.

Bianca sniffled again and rubbed her eyes. "You're right. There's no reason I shouldn't do this. Thank you. I should get going now. You too. We don't want to fall behind!" She straightened herself up and made a run for Route 1.

Black sighed. Starting today he would go and explore the rest of the Unova region. As much as he disliked his own home, he had never been outside of Nuvema Town. He hated to admit it, but he was excited. Maybe seeing the rest of the land he would find somewhere he likes? As he thought about this, he too made his way for Route 1.

To his surprise both Cheren and Bianca were waiting for him just outside of Route 1. They explained that the two of them thought they should all take their first steps away from home together. Even in his sour mood Black couldn't help but feel this thought was somewhat endearing. The three of them stood side-by-side and on a count of three all stepped forward onto the route. The professor was waiting for them and smiled happily at the silly little thing the three had just done. Bianca was all smiles about it, but both Cheren and Black seemed more embarrassed than anything else.

"Why don't I show you how to catch Pokemon?" the professor offered. "You'll need to know if you want to make more friends."

Before she could receive an answer, she spotted a wild patrat and went through the steps of capturing it with her Minccino. Once she was finished, she handed each of them five pokeballs to complete their teams. She then said she would be waiting for them in Accumula Town just north of where they were and left them on their own.

"Hey, we should see who can catch the most Pokemon before we get there!" Bianca suggested.

"Turning it into a competition should make things even more interesting. Alright. Let's do it." Cheren agreed. "It will also help fill the Pokedex. You should join us, Black." And with that Black was left to his own devices.

"…Like I'd take part in your petty little competition. There's only two types of Pokemon in this grass. Besides, I have my own way of making this more interesting." Black said to himself. No sooner had he spoken than a wild Lillipup decided it was time to attack.

Without a single problem, Black used Kenny to capture the wild Pokemon. After paying a quick "thank you" to the sea otter, he took her back into her pokeball and rushed for Accumula Town, defeating two other wild Pokemon on his way. If the start of his journey would rely on Kenny and the new Lillipup, he would need both of them in fighting condition, and the Lillipup was far from it. He needed a Pokemon Center.

Cheren and Bianca both seemed thrilled that they had all only caught a single Pokemon, and they all had a Lillipup. With that they dispersed into the new town. Black frowned down at his new edition. If his friends both had lillipups, he would need something to make his special.

"Right. Soon as I can, I'll get this thing a nickname. From here on out I should give all my new Pokemon names. I'll need to think of something for this boy…" Black mumbled to himself as he made his way into the Pokemon Center.

Of course he wouldn't be alone in there, and he groaned as he saw Professor Juniper waiting with Bianca to teach them all about how to use its services. Black half-listened to her and got his two healed. Afterwards, the woman directed them to the other service counter and explained all about the different things they should buy to help them. When she was done, she waved good-bye and went to find Cheren. Bianca immediately began to browse the items available. Black didn't care what they had at the time, and instead went to get his new teammate to a decent level. He had a feeling Lillipup would be needed soon.

* * *

The way Black chose his starter is basically how I did it, only I used random .org's die roller to do it.

I've tried finding the picture I reference (mudkip/snowman lovechild) but I cannot locate it. I'm pretty sure it was on deviantart, and that I had faved it. If somebody finds it, or thinks they have found it, it would be much appreciated if you could send me a link so that I can credit the artist for that idea.

Please leave a review if you liked it! Also is you find any spelling/grammar/naming/etc. mistakes it would be really awesome if you would let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

Here comes part two!

* * *

A few hours later, both Kenny and Lillipup were level 7. Satisfied that his small team was ready to battle trainers that were sure to inhabit Route 2, Black ended that grinding session and made for Accumula's Pokemon Center. Upon leaving, he spied two men talking about some commotion going on at the plaza. Having to pass by that way, Black decided to have a look. Cheren happened to be to one side of the crowd, and he spotted Black and called him over. The two watched as seven people dressed as medieval knights set up two flags on either side of the plaza. They then stood in a perfectly straight line between the flags, and a green haired man in strange clothing stepped forward.

"My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokemon liberation." The man stated in a loud and clear voice. The crowd immediately fell into whispers as people tried to figure out exactly what he meant. The man began slowly pacing back and forth before the seven. "I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokemon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However... Is this really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans...only assume that this is the truth? Pokemon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers... They get pushed around when they are our 'partners' at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"

Once more the crowd fell into whispers. Most everyone seemed to doubt the man's words, but they were anxious. Many couldn't seem to help but wonder if perhaps this strange man had spoken a small truth.

"_Just what kind of crap are you getting at, old man?"_ Black thought, scowling up at the man.

Ghetsis seemed to be fueled by the people's concerns, and his speech became livelier. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokemon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokemon?" He barely waited for the whispers to die down before shouting, "That's right! We must liberate the Pokemon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokemon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokemon...and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."

With that, the seven people gathered their flags and took formation around their leader. As they marched out of town, the crowd began to chatter loudly. Those who had been thinking about what Ghetsis had to say and were uneasy quickly had their doubts laid to rest by the others. When the crowd dispersed, the general consensus was that the green-haired man was a lunatic.

"Well, that was certainly a distraction." Cheren sighed.

"Pokemon don't have to listen to us trainers if they don't want to." Black stated calmly. Kenny and Lillipup, who had been on Black's shoulder and by his feet respectively, nodded their heads in agreement.

"Your Pokemon... Just now, it was saying..." A young man who had been standing nearby spoke up. His speech was quick and it was hard to understand what exactly he had just said. He approached Cheren and Black in only a few long strides.

"Slow down. You talk too fast. And what's this about Pokemon...talking? That's an odd thing to say." Cheren snapped at him, unhappy that somebody had just walked in on the conversation.

The young man ignored him. "Yes, they're talking. Oh. Then, you two can't hear it, either... How sad. My Name is N."

Cheren frowned. Something about this person was rubbing him the wrong way, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It wasn't that he was rude… "My name is Cheren, and this is Black. We were asked to complete the Pokedex, and we just left on our journey. My main goal is to become the Champion, though."

"_Way to go spilling all the beans and your life story."_ Black wanted nothing more than to facepalm, but resisted that urge and instead looked over this new person.

"The Pokedex, eh? So... You're going to confine many, many Pokemon in Pokeballs for that, then. I'm a Trainer, too, but I can't help wondering... Are Pokemon really happy that way? Well, Black, is it? Let me hear your Pokemon's voice again!"

Just as soon as he had shouted that, N took a step back and released a purloin from its Pokeball. In that moment Black was thankful that he had done that training earlier. Having used Kenny in two previous trainer battles thanks to his friends, it was Lillipup's turn to shine. The little dog charged into battle and completely destroyed the cat in two rounds. Although the battle was short, N was muttering strange things all throughout it, saying he wanted to hear more and more of the dog's voice.

"I never expected to hear Pokemon say such things..." he whispered when he cat fell unconscious. He recalled it into the Pokeball. Black did the same for Lillipup, as he had been injured a little. "As long as Pokemon are confined in Pokeballs... Pokemon will never become perfect beings. I have to change the world for Pokemon, because they're my friends." N stated firmly before turning around and running from the city.

"What a weird guy." Cheren said, watching him leave. "Anyway, I'm going to be heading for Striaton City. There's a gym there, and Professor Juniper told me there was somebody I should meet. You should go there, too." With that he too made his way for Route 2.

"_Pokemon are his friends, huh? Just what does that N person think other trainers see our Pokemon as? Slaves? Whatever. He seems like the type who would sing praises to Team Plasma."_ Black shrugged. "Come on, Kenny. Let's get Lillipup healed, and then we'll go catch a new teammate, okay?" The oshawott cried out happily at the prospect of getting a new buddy, and Black couldn't help but smile. At the time he thought nothing of it, but later Black would realize that despite the short amount of time they had spent together he had already stopped thinking of Kenny as his unwanted Pokemon and started thinking of her as an irreplaceable friend.

"Oh come on!" Black whined. "I already have a lillipup! I don't need another one!"

"Couldn't you just catch a different Pokemon?" Kenny asked from her trainer's shoulder.

"That would be against the rules. Oh well, I suppose it is better to have doubles than to be short a Pokemon." Black stated. "Lillipup, tackle it once more, and I'll catch it."

Lillipup obeyed, and the wild one was easily captured. Thinking quickly, Black decided his new team member should be called Georgette. Lillipup seemed happy, and stayed beside her during the walk back to town for healing. The rest of the route proved simple enough, and the trainers dropped like flies before Black's team. At the end of it, Bianca decided it was time for a rematch. Being unable to say no, the battle began.

Against her own lillipup, Georgette proved herself more than capable. When Tepig was sent out, the female dog help up for another round before needing to be switched. Afterward Kenny finished off the self-cooking bacon with no effort. With victory belonging to Black, both trainers entered Striaton City. Bianca went immediately for the Pokemon Center, while Black decided to first check out the gym.

A man stood outside the gym, and denied him access. He said the gym leader was paying a visit to the Pokemon school just on the other side of the Center, and said that if Black wanted the badge, he would have to fetch the leader. So of course Black was forced to go and do this.

"What the heck? A gym leader that isn't in the gym? I sure hope the rest of these people actually do their jobs." Black grumbled, entering the school. _"Wait what? Why is Cheren here? Doesn't he already know everything a place like this would have to offer?"_

Upon seeing Black, Cheren explained that he was there to read up on anything the school had to offer, and that he had learned a lot. When questioned about the gym leader, he stated that the man was there just earlier, and Black had probably passed him on the road. Before he could question how he could have passed anybody on the road when there was no one around, Cheren challenged him to a battle. Black was then thankful that his team was fairly well healed already.

Starting with his strongest, Cheren released Snivy. Lillipup, being the healthiest, was sent out against the grass snake. Just as with all his previous battles, Lillipup took out his opponent in record time. He nearly brought down Cheren's next Pokemon, a purloin, but had to be switched out at the last moment. In his place, the almost equally well-rested Kenny was sent into battle. It only took one stream from her water gun to bring down the cat. Disappointed at his own work, Cheren left to go and challenge the gym leader. Black took one look around the school, and also left. Whatever the books and chalkboard had to teach him, he already knew.

Outside of the gym Black was met by a different man than before. This one had short green hair. Only half-listening to what he had to say, Black couldn't help but wonder if all his enemies were going to have green hair or if that was just a weird coincidence. He did catch one thing the man said, and that was that he should go into the Dreamyard in search of a Pokemon to assist him in the upcoming battle. Not one to pass up an opportunity to get a new teammate, Black went and did just that.

With two young trainers to defeat in battle, Black was thankful to find that the third person he came across was uninterested in fighting. In fact, she claimed that she had too many Pokemon to take care of.

"So, what do you think, will you take one off my hands?" she asked.

"Wait, back up. You're going to give me a free Pokemon."

"Yes."

"There's no catch here, right?"

"None."

"It isn't going to be a level 1 magikarp named Stupid, right?"

"What's a magikarp?"

"…Okay. Free shit is always awesome!" Black said happily, holding out his hand for the Pokeball.

"Since you chose Oshawott as your starter, I think the perfect Pokemon to give you would be this Pansear. Hey! Look at that, he already likes you! You should give him a nickname!"

How this woman knew what the fire monkey thought of Black was beyond him. All he knew was that he just scored a free fire-type, and that was just fine with him. Dubbing his new companion Doomeister for the badassness it was sure to have, Black then left the Dreamyard for another exciting round of grinding.

* * *

Next chapter is going to have a fairly long explanation down here. Just a head's up.

Same as before, please leave a review if you liked it! If you spotted any mistakes, it would be awesome if you would let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

I think from here on out the swearing is going to be rather scarce. At least, compared to the first chapter... Sorry 'bout that. I was NOT happy to be playing a Gen V game. *sweatdrop*

* * *

"_Why_ do I have to do that?" Black asked. "I know the type match-ups. I could tell you them right now. Fire beats grass, grass beats water, water beats fire. Can I fight the gym leader now?"

"Sorry, you have to do the puzzle. But with your knowledge, it will be easy." A waitress told him. Black groaned heavily. He had just finished a long grinding session, had recovered his Pokemon at the center, and was now ready to get his first gym badge.

"It doesn't take that much effort does it?" Kenny asked from his shoulder.

"It isn't the effort that bothers me; it's the fact that I have to 'prove' my knowledge through something so stupid and trivial." Black explained, stepping onto the rug whose color represented the type that would beat the curtain's.

The curtain opened, and Black stepped through. "At least they aren't asking you math questions." A waiter who served as a gym trainer challenged him. Lillipup stepped forward from his place at Black's side. "Kenny, I love you and all, but I need to concentrate." The gym trainer released his own lillipup, and the battle began. "Right, sorry Master." Despite what Black said, the waiter proved to be very weak and went down easily. Black repeated the process with the rugs and the curtain again, and moved into the next section.

"Want me to battle again?" Lillipup asked. As a waitress approached with a Pokeball in hand. "No. You're strong, but you're injured. Let Georgette handle this next trainer." Obediently Black's female puppy tore into battle from her trainer's other side, knocking out both the waitress's patrat and purrloin. Once more Black stepped on the correctly colored rug and the curtain opened.

Before him was a raised platform on which the green haired man stood. Black climbed the short set of steps, plucking his fourth Pokeball from his waist as he did. The man smiled at him, and from behind him two others stepped out. One had bright red hair, the other had light blue. All three of them bowed and introduced themselves as Cilan, Chili, and Cress. Black zoned out during their strange little display, and after a moment of silence, raised his empty hand and pointed at each one in turn.

"What the fuck is up with your hair, your hair, and your hair? Also, Cress was it, are you a chick?"

All three gym leaders fell silent from shock. Cilan cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Let's just get this over with, shall we? You chose that oshawott to be your first Pokemon, therefore I will be your opponent for this badge." And without a further word he released a lillipup.

"Why does everyone and their grandmother have a lillipup!" Black shouted. "Now I really have to get you a nickname." He said to his unnamed puppy.

"There's a man who calls himself Name Rater in the next city." Cilan stated.

"REALLY? Alright, then let's get this over with already! Kenny, beat the snot out of that thing!"

"Yes Master!" she cried out happily, leaping from her trainer's shoulder and bringing down the puppy with two blasts of her water gun.

Unhappy about Black's eagerness to leave, Cilan returned his fainted Pokemon and released a pansage. A part of Black wondered if that was why Cilan was his opponent. It was the same part that wanted to know how this man had known Kenny was his first Pokemon, and how that woman in the Dreamyard knew he would need Doomeister. Speaking of Doomeister…

"Kenny, get back." Black commanded. The sea otter obeyed, quickly climbing back onto her trainer's body. "Go, Doomeister!" Black hurled the Pokeball that had been in his hand.

His newest teammate, a pansear, was released. The fire monkey seemed thrilled that he finally got time to shine. Like a fool, Cilan's pansage used its vine whip attack. Black was no such idiot, and Doomeister burned the heck out of his opponent with a single incinerate.

"Nice critical hit, buddy!" Black laughed. Doomeister grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

The shiny new Trio Badge in hand, Doomeister was invited up onto Black's other shoulder, and the monkey took his place. He was about to leave, but the three gym leaders wouldn't shut up. Black opened his mouth to tell them to shut up when a TM was thrust into his hands. The three went on about how it could teach Pokemon the attack 'work up'. Black gave up and left the gym. He didn't care if he seemed rude at this point; his Lillipup needed a new name. Badly.

He had just walked down the front steps outside the gym when a woman ran up to him. Before he could ask, she introduced herself as Fennel, an acquaintance of Professor Juniper. She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him into a nearby apartment building. There she explained that she was working on a machine to allow people's dreams to become reality. She stated that she couldn't complete it because she lacked something called Dream Mist. She explained that Pokemon called Munna and Musharna create it, and then tasked Black with going into the Dreamyard where they were said to live in order to catch one of these.

"Okay, but I can't promise you anything. See, I'm kind of doing a challenge and-" Black tried to speak up.

"Well, you don't need to _catch_ one, per se. I just need the Dream Mist." Fennel stated.

"Alright, alright. If I get this stuff for you, will you let me leave this city already?"

"Yes!"

"I'm out of here, then." He turned to leave.

"WAIT! You'll need this." Fennel cried. She handed him an HM. "To cut down shrubs that might be in your way." She explained.

Black nodded to her and marched back down the stairs of the apartment and out onto the street once more. He stopped in at the Pokemon Center, and then once more made his way into the Dreamyard.

"Cut that bush down, will ya Doomeister?"

Black had returned his Pokemon to their Pokeballs. Much as he liked their company, it got tiring to carry them. The pansear had been released just for the task he had been given. He nodded his head and with a quick slice from his claws the brush that lie in Black's way was cleared. The trainer thanked him and returned Doomeister.

"So somewhere in this old wreck of a factory are the Pokemon I need, right?" He asked, looking around. "Well, the best place to find wild Pokemon is in tall grass. Now. Where is some tall grass?"

Not finding a single blade long enough to potentially hide a Pokemon, Black began to wander the ruined buildings. The place was oddly quiet, which led to being able to hear the cries of several strange Pokemon Black had never come across. Some ways in, he found a set of stairs leading up to what was left of a second floor. It looked dangerous, but there was nowhere else for him to go. Everywhere was blocked by rubble. Knowing it was a bad idea, he climbed up.

He was surprised to find some items lying about on the second floor. They weren't anything he couldn't obtain elsewhere, but it meant that other trainers had been there before. He pushed on, carefully avoiding places that had collapsed or looked unstable. The sun was beginning to set, and Black became wary.

"I can't believe I've done so much in only a couple days." He mumbled to himself. "But that aside, I don't like this at all. If I spend too much longer in here, I don't think I'll be able to find my way out 'til morning. Gotta find that Pokemon for Fennel…" He stopped short as he heard a strange noise. It was not the cry of a Pokemon like the previous sounds. He could hear something moving around in…grass. It was right below him. A chill went up his spine. "I don't like this place." He decided.

Further along he came across another set of stairs, these ones leading down. He thanked Arceus for being able to get off the dangerous second floor. He was surprised when he felt grass beneath his feet, and not concrete. The ruins really were old enough that plants had begun to push their way through.

Black walked onward, and it wasn't long before the sun had set and he could barely see anything in time to avoid running into it. He was just about to call it quits and stop for the night when something decided to attack him. Fumbling at his waist, he grabbed the first Pokeball he could get his hands on and released the one inside. Georgette.

"Can you see?" Black asked her.

"Just barely, but I can do this." She assured him.

"Okay. Don't knock it out. It might be the Pokemon we need. Also, it is the first one I've come across here. I want to capture whatever it is."

"Leave it to me, Master!"

Sure enough, the puppy handled the opponent well enough, and on her signal Black hurled an empty Pokeball into the fray. Georgette barked happily when the wild Pokemon was successfully caught, retrieving the ball and dropping it in her trainer's hand.

"What is it?" he asked.

"A patrat."

"Gender?"

"I wasn't paying attention. Sorry."

"That's alright. I think I'll call it…Nuts." Black decided, attaching the new Pokeball to his waist. "Georgette, I'm going to stop here for the night. It's too dark for me to go on. Will you stay with me?" Black knelt down and the lillipup licked and nuzzled his hand.

"Of course."

"Thanks. I'll let everyone out tomorrow once I get out of here and get to Route 3. For now, I don't want the commotion."

"Anything you say."

* * *

A put a lot of stuff into this chapter because I honestly hate how much extra junk Pokemon Black has made me go through just to get out of the first gym city. I don't want to be boring, so I've decided to skimp on some details whenever I reach a point I just don't care about.

This doesn't matter much now, but I want to make something clear so that in the future it doesn't become confusing. Black can only understand the Pokemon he is close to. Ones that he just caught or don't trust him he won't be able to communicate with. This is why Kenny was able to speak last chapter, and why Lillipup and Georgette were able to this chapter.

Please leave a review if you liked it, and if you find any mistakes I would love you if you pointed them out for me!


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter isn't so...all over the place. I'm afraid it's a bit slow, though.

* * *

Black was rudely awakened the following morning by a familiar voice screaming. He and Georgette swiftly got to their feet and ran in the direction the cry had come from. Black nearly ran headlong into Bianca as he rounded a corner nearby.

"Ah! Bianca! What are you doing here? Why are you shouting?" Black asked, not sure if he should be mad that she woke him up or not.

"Black! I-I…Munna, she…" Bianca stuttered. She looked like she was about to cry.

"Whoa, calm down. What happened?" Black told her, putting his hands on her shoulders to help calm her. "What was that about a munna?"

"Fennel…she told me to come out here. Said she wanted me to catch one. So I came looking for one. I found one and was going to catch it. But…some people in weird clothing…they attacked her! They tried to hurt that munna! Black, you've got to help!" She shouted, clinging to him. "She fled into the ruins and they chased after her!"

"Got it. Come on, this isn't time to be crying." Black told her, prying her off and charging deeper into the ruins. Bianca followed, wiping tears from her eyes.

"_Damn you Bianca! If you weren't my friend, I wouldn't even bother doing this!"_ Black thought as he ran. _"Of course, now I know just how much Fennel trusted me. Sheesh, couldn't even give me a full day before sending somebody else to do my job."_ He frowned. _"What am I thinking? This is no time to be angry at people!"_

No sooner had he begun to scold himself that he spotted a strange pink thing floating near some tall grass. He stopped a few feet from it, and Bianca caught up to him seconds later. She spotted the Pokemon and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Munna! You're safe!" she cried, taking a step towards it.

"Not so fast, girly!" "That Pokemon is ours!"

Out of nowhere, two people dressed as knights sprinted for the Pokemon, both began raining blows down onto it. The munna cried out in pain, and Bianca shrieked. The two Team Plasma members began shouting at the Pokemon to give them the Dream Mist.

"Georgette, tackle!"

The small dog charged forward, attacking the two people. Both of them stopped attacking the munna. One of them produced a Pokeball and released a Patrat. It didn't stand a chance against Georgette after all the grinding she had gone through before the gym battle. The second Team Plasma grunt released a purrloin, and it too fell swiftly. Georgette growled deeply and stepped towards them, threatening to attack again.

Just before the two could run away, suddenly something strange happened. A figure resembling that of Ghetsis appeared. Both Team Plasma members froze on the spot. The figure narrowed its eyes and vanished, appearing in another location nearby. It continued to do this a few more times before both grunts shouted in terror and fled, crying out how they were sorry for upsetting their leader. Once the two were safely out of sight, the figure vanished.

A soft cry similar to Munna's was heard, and a larger pink Pokemon floated out from the grass.

"What is…?" Bianca whispered, watching as it approached the injured munna.

"Musharna?" another familiar voice cried. Both Black and Bianca turned around to find Fennel standing behind them. "I came here to see how you two were doing and was just passed by two people in strange clothing. I never suspected Musharna to be here, too."

"Those people were attacking Munna. Then some weird things happened and now-" Black began to explain.

"Musharna probably made you all dream something that scared those two away. It was protecting Munna." Fennel explained. "Pokemon battles are one thing, but for humans to injure a Pokemon…" her voice drifted off as the two Pokemon nuzzled and made their way back into the grass together. A small pile of dust lay near where the two had met. Fennel stepped forward and picked up a handful of it. "This is Dream Mist! Wow! Well, it may not be one of the Pokemon, but this is what I was after, anyway! Thank you Munna, Musharna!" she shouted after them. "Both of you come visit me back in Striaton City." She told them before leaving.

Bianca left out a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. Black, you go on ahead. I think I want to stay here and see if I can't catch one of those yet."

"Alright. I'll see you later." Black told her, picking up Georgette and carrying her the rest of the way out of the Dreamyard. Everything seemed so much less dangerous during the daytime.

With two Pokemon on his shoulders and two more at his heels, Black stepped onto Route 3. He had been to visit Fennel about her dream machine, and found it entirely uninteresting. This route, however, he found very interesting. For here he would be able to catch a new teammate. He prayed it would not be another normal type, as having three on his team bothered him enough as it was. Speaking of normal types...

At his feet, Lillipup and Georgette were having a grand ol' time playing together. Black found he would have to stop every few feet and wait for them. The two were tackling each other and nipping at each other, yipping and barking happily. Black smiled and chuckled at the pair.

"Hey now you two, don't go making any eggs. It's against the rules." He told them.

Both pups blushed.

"Don't worry, Master. We know." Georgette told him, nuzzling Lillipup.

"We won't do anything wrong." Lillipup assured him.

"Good pups."

Shortly after, Black found a good patch of tall grass. He stepped into it, his new patrat's Pokeball in hand. He had done a little training with it before, but it was still rather weak. This was good as he feared the rest of his team would be too strong to catch a new one. He prayed that he would run into something more useful. He had never caught anything but normals, and as much as he loved his team, he desperately wanted something else.

His wish was granted. The first Pokemon he came across was a good, strong, stout blitzle. Its mane sparked and Black released Nuts. The newcomer did the job perfectly, and it was only a few rounds before Black hurled a Pokeball at the wild one. To his surprise, the ball burst open and the blitzle sent a shock wave at Nuts. Fearing for his Pokemon's life, Black ordered it to get back, sending Doomeister into battle instead. The monkey was ready and took the wild one's quick attack with ease. Once more Black threw a Pokeball, and once more the blitzle broke free. After Doomeister took another shock wave, Black threw a third Pokeball, and this time the wild one was caught.

"Phew, what a toughy." Black commented, picking up the Pokeball. "First one to ever fight back. Now, what to name her…" As he thought, Doomeister reclaimed his spot on Black's shoulder. Nuts looked up at Black and frowned. Black wasn't paying attention to this, but Kenny was. The sea otter smiled down at the patrat and climbed onto Black's head. "Wha- HEY!" Black shouted. Nuts wasted no time and leapt onto the newly opened shoulder. "Oh, I get it. You know, you all get heavy when you pile on like that." He stated.

"You'll get used to it. Besides, we won't stay this small forever." Doomeister snickered.

"Hm? Oh, Doomeister! Good to hear ya, bubby!" Black stated, surprised at hearing the monkey's voice so suddenly.

"You can hear me now? Cool. So, what's the newbie's name?"

"I was trying to figure that out. The only thing I can think of is Ashley. It isn't very original, though. I guess it'll have to do."

Black released the newcomer. Ashley shook her head and looked up at her trainer and teammates. Black reached out and stroked her mane and neck gently. Kenny got an idea and jumped from Black's head to Ashley's back. The zebra didn't seem to mind the small Pokemon at all.

"I think this will solve the heavy issue." Kenny said happily.

"Just don't wear her out."

"Master, Master! You know what this means?" Lillipup cried out.

"Hm? It means something?" Black asked.

Lillipup looked at Black, Doomeister, Nuts, Kenny, Ashley, Georgette and back at Black. "FULL TEAM!" he barked happily.

"What?" Black glanced at the six. "Oh hey, you're right! Awesome! Now we're getting somewhere! Come on guys, let's get this show on the road!"

* * *

Things ought to get interesting from here on out.

Please leave a review if you liked it. And as always it would be wonderful if you could point out any mistakes you find!


	5. Chapter 5

"…is what I said but… Why do I feel like a bully beating all the kindergarteners in Pokemon battles?" Black cried out. "For Arceus' sake, they're the ones that challenged _me_ and I _still_ feel like the bad guy here!"

Despite the defeat of two other children before him, a little kindergartener approached Black, a Pokeball in hand. "Onii-chan! Battle me!" he giggled with excitement, releasing a pansage.

"Okay, okay." Black sighed. "Nuts, you handle this. You need the experience."

The patrat hopped off his shoulder and engaged the grass monkey. The battle was over just about as quickly as it started. The little boy grinned and exclaimed how good at battling Black was. It was at least something to be thankful for. If any of the children who had challenged him had started crying, Black wouldn't have been able to forgive himself even though he had done nothing wrong.

Nuts climbed back onto his shoulder and the team made their way towards the west where the route's exit lay. To his surprise he found a familiar voice called out to him. Black turned around to find Cheren rapidly approaching him. He was looking to battle. Always one to put his best foot forward, the first Pokemon he sent into battle was Snivy. Black was ready for this.

"C'mon Doomeister, this should be easy for you." Black grinned.

The monkey on his shoulder snickered and hopped down into battle. Snivy used a vine whip attack, and Doomeister wasted no time in setting his body ablaze, burning his foe with his incinerate. Even with its wrap, leer, and growth attacks, Snivy couldn't stand up to the heat. It fainted all too quickly. Cheren followed up his starter with his purrloin. Although the monkey was still eager for battle, Black called him back in favor of giving the latest edition to the team a chance. The cat swiped at Ashley several times, but it was nothing the blitzle couldn't handle. In fact, her shock wave proved all that much more devastating. Purrloin fell quickly.

"Hmm, I guess even I have a lot more training to do." Cheren mumbled to himself.

No sooner had he spoken than two men in knight's clothing charged passed them. Before either could even comment on how rude they were and register that they belonged to Team Plasma, Bianca came running after them. Behind her was one of the kindergarteners.

"Cheren! Black! Did you see two strange people just now?" she called out.

"Yeah, they just ran by. They looked like they were in a hurry. What's going on? Who's that?" Cheren asked.

"Those two just stole this little girl's Pokemon!" Bianca exclaimed.

"WHAT! Bianca, wait here with her. Black, we're going after them!" Cheren ordered, charging on ahead.

"Don't need to tell me twice." Black stated, recalling all but Kenny before giving chase as well.

He and Cheren pursued the duo to a small cavern nearby. The place was named Wellspring Cave. The two entered cautiously. Neither knew if Team Plasma had set up any traps inside. The pair was so focused on tracking down the thieves that Black was actually startled by a wild Pokemon attacking him.

"_That's right. This place is new! Which means…this woobat is something I can catch!"_ he thought excitedly. _"Better not waste any time, though."_ "Kenny, wound that thing quickly and let's get this over with!"

Kenny did just that, knocking the strange bat from the air before Black caught it in a single attempt. He had just enough time to name the new Pokemon Sherman before the Pokeball vanished from his hand. It was wonderful timing, too, as Cheren had just located the reasons for coming into the place.

The two grunts that had gone by had met with a third, and they were itching for a battle with their pursuers. Still fired up from catching Sherman, Black initiated battle with the first of them. The grunt released a partat, something Black had fought plenty of times before. He sent Kenny into battle, knowing the foe wouldn't put up much of a challenge.

"Kenny! Use your water gun!" he ordered.

The oshawott opened its mouth to do so, but the patrat used it's bide attack just before it was struck by the stream. Black gasped. Kenny had just fought with a wild Pokemon; she wasn't in any condition to take a hit from that attack. He grit his teeth together.

"_It's okay. It was just one hit. Kenny can do this."_ Black thought. "Kenny, hit it again with your water gun!" he shouted.

Without hesitation the sea otter repeated her attack. Black froze. He couldn't breathe. The foe was still standing. That meant it had charged up not one, but two water gun's worth of double-damage to inflict on its next move.

"_Shit shit _shitSHIT_!"_ Black thought, beginning to panic. _"Even if I heal Kenny to full, there's no way she'll survive that! _SHIT_! What do I do? I've got to switch out, but who can take something like that?"_ Hands shaking, Black fumbled with his Pokeballs. He tried to determine who to send out, but he couldn't think straight in this situation. Without a thought he blindly chose one of them and switched it for Kenny. Georgette was released. Still panicking, Black closed his eyes and prayed as the patrat unleashed its stored energy.

Georgette never stood a chance…

Black dropped to his knees, staring at the body of his fallen Pokemon. Georgette. One of his little girls had…and all because…

He shook his head. This wasn't the time for that! He breathed as deeply as he could, struggling to get a hold on himself. He got to his feet, his next Pokemon already chosen and Pokeball in hand.

"You… You are not getting away from this!" he shouted, sending the first Pokemon he had ever caught into the fray. "Lillipup, I want you to kill that patrat! _Bite its fucking head off!_"

There was no need to tell Lillipup twice. Not when Georgette's body lie on the battlefield clear as day. The grunt's patrat suffered its fate at the jaws of revenge. Its trainer cried out loudly, along with the other two grunts…and Cheren as well.

"U-um…Y-you won't stand a chance against two of us!" One of the grunts stated, dragging his buddy along with him, hoping the extra support would scare the horrifying look off of Black's face.

"Cheren…" Black spoke, his voice strangely calm and even. "…my team is hurt. I need your help."

His friend nodded and sent out Snivy, having revived it back to health while waiting for Black to catch up earlier. Lillipup allowed the help. When the two grunts released their own patrats, Cheren's Pokemon proved useful only as a momentary distraction. Lillipup out-leveled the foes by quite a bit. Their necks were both snapped.

The grunts handed over the little girl's Pokeball before fleeing in terror. Black looked down at it. His hand was still shaking furiously. He thrust it into Cheren's hands.

"Give this back to the little girl. There's…something I need to do…" Black's voice came out a whisper.

Cheren nodded, taking the Pokeball and quickly leaving the cave. Black was thankful he had not stuck around. Bringing out the rest of his own Pokeballs, Black barely managed to command the rest of his team to come out before breaking down into sobs.

_R.I.P._

_Georgette the Lillipup_

_Caught: Route 2, Level 4_

_Died: Wellspring Cave, Level 14  
_

* * *

...


	6. Chapter 6

Black walked along the end of Route 3 in silence. He was starring at the ground, hardly paying attention to anything around him. His pace was slow. Behind him, Kenny and Lillipup followed. Both wanted to say something to cheer their trainer up, but they couldn't think of anything. The silence between them was heavy, and it was starting to have an effect on their thoughts.

Lillipup was the first to snap and break the silence. "This is your fault!" He shouted at Kenny. "You're the one who attacked that patrat while it was using bide!"

"Me? It wasn't my fault! I was sure I could take it down before it got a chance to strike back!" Kenny cried out.

"You shouldn't have used your water gun again!"

"I didn't mean for that to happen!"

"Both of you knock it off!" Black snapped, whirling around to face them. "I was the one who miscalculated Kenny's second attack. I was the one who switched her for Georgette. It was my fault." He stated. He lowered his head and closed his eyes. "If anyone is to blame, it is me. I don't have enough experience yet. I thought Kenny could finish the job, I miscalculated. I thought maybe somebody else could stand the hit, I panicked. I panicked, and I released Georgette in that panic. But we have to get through this. We can't fight like this." He knelt down and wrapped his arms around the two, pulling them into a close hug. "Listen to me, you two. I need to get stronger. I need to learn everyone's limits. To do that, I need to be able to think straight. I need you guys to help me. Get stronger, so I don't need to panic and allow something like that to happen again. Both of you…Kenny…Lillipup…I love you two. You're my teammates. I'm begging you, help me through this."

Kenny and Lillipup exchanged a look. Lillipup licked Black's cheek, and Kenny kissed the other. Black smiled and stood up, holding both of them in his arms.

"Thank you. Come on. We're almost to Nacrene City. There's another gym there. I don't care how long it takes, I'm not letting any of us near the gym leader until you all are much, much stronger. So prepare yourselves for a lot more grinding." Black told them.

True to his word, a long grinding session began. First up was Sherman. Being newly caught, he was the farthest behind in levels. On Route 3, Black trained him vigorously until the little bat was almost at the others' levels. After a trip to the Pokemon Center, Black decided he would pay a visit to the Pinwheel Forest's entrance. He was surprised at how relatively peaceful it was. All the trainers appeared to be either inside. In fact the first person he battled was actually just an easy-going nurse who was watching over some children from the school on the other side of Nacrene City.

Black looked over the small area and decided that before he got himself into any serious battles, he wanted a new teammate. Currently he only had a Kenny, Lillipup, Doomeister, Nuts, Ashley, and Sherman. The team was heavily unbalanced, and he knew he would have to do something about that sooner or later. Besides, he had been told that the gym leader used normal types and that three different fighting types were in the area. Praying whatever attacked him first would be useful, he stepped into the tall grass where the wild Pokemon lurked.

That day luck was no on Black's side. With six different Pokemon lurking in the grass, half of them being ones that would be useful to him immediately, the first Pokemon to attack him was none other than a Pidove.

"OH COME ON!" Black shouted. "I already have Sherman! I don't need another flying type!" he whined. Regardless, he caught the bird, named it Fairy, and returned to town quickly. Fairy may not have been the most useful Pokemon in that situation, but there was somebody on his team that needed to be replaced. Not because he didn't love that somebody, but because she a duplicate type that so far had not shown any real strength. Into the PC went Nuts, and onto the team came Fairy.

Once more grinding took place, first Fairy to get her up to par with the others, and then the whole team. Beating up kindergarteners felt no better to Black than it did last time, but again at least they were the ones who challenged him, and all seemed fine with losing. Thankfully the deeper into the area Black walked the more mature trainers he encountered. He still slaughtered them all, but at least he didn't have to feel like a bully. He was on his way back to the city to rest when a strange noise caught his attention. It was something he had heard before in the Dreamyard. Grass was being moved near him.

Cautiously he stepped towards the area. Something unusual lurked there, he just knew it. Sure enough when he got close, a Pokemon he had not seen in the area yet jumped out at him. It was an audino. Black seemed confused by the small Pokemon, not sure why such a thing would make such a ruckus in the grass. All the same he released Fairy into battle. The wild Pokemon went down easily enough, but the result surprised him. The experience Fairy had gained from just that one battle was three, maybe four times what she had gotten from others!

"So…Pokemon that aren't 'native' to the area must have trouble moving through it. So if I ever see or hear any abnormalities while traveling, chances are there's a somewhat rare Pokemon there! Also, audino give lots of experience! WOO!" Black cheered. "Okay, let's go heal up and then see what this gym is about!"

Things didn't go as planned, however. They rarely ever do, and this time was no exception. As Black approached the building he assumed was the gym, a familiar face ran into him. It was N. He appeared to be in a hurry but stopped when he recognized Black. All the same he seemed a little out of it when he spoke.

"I... want to see things no one can see. The truths of Pokemon inside Pokeballs. The ideals of how Trainers should be. And a future where Pokemon have become perfect... Do you feel the same?" he asked, staring Black right in the eye.

"What are you talking about? How can I answer if I don't even know what you are saying?"Black asked.

"Huh. I expected more from you. Now pay attention. My friends and I will test you to see if you can see this future, too."

And just like that, N released a pidove of his own. Not entirely expecting a battle, Black fumbled for a Pokemon. To his surprise the choice was perfect, and Ashley acquired victory with little effort. Even against N's next Pokemon, a tympole, Ashley won. When N sent out timburr, Black decided it was time to change as well, releasing Fairy instead. The victory was swift. N's Pokemon were hugely out-leveled. It gave Black hope for the gym leader.

"Right now, my friends aren't strong enough to save all Pokemon. Maybe I can't solve the equation that will change the world. So, I need power... Power enough to make anyone agree with me." N mumbled to himself before leaving Black. "Now I know what power I need. Zekrom! The legendary Pokemon that, along with the hero, created the Unova region. It's my turn to become that hero-and you and I will be friends!"

"What a whack job…" Black said to himself as he watched N leave. "Well, I guess back to the Pokemon Center, and I'll come back here in a bit." He sighed as he wandered all the way back from where he had just come from.

"WHAT THE HECK!" Black shouted. "Why do I have to go and prove my knowledge again? What does any of this even have to do with how good I am as a trainer?"

The gym was located at the back of a museum. The gym leader was the wife of the man who owned said museum. Because of this the 'challenge' of the gym was to prove your knowledge of a few things by battling trainers guarding bookcases and using hints in the books to find the way to the gym leader. Black groaned when all of this was told to him. If it had to be done, it had to be done.

The challenge proved simple, and he managed to work his way through it in only a few minutes. However, the gym trainers proved something of an upset. Their Pokemon were much higher leveled than N's. Although Black could defeat them, the victories weren't so easy. In a way he was grateful for this. It told him that he didn't want to challenge Lenora yet. At the same time it put him in a bit of a slump. He had just done so much grinding and now he realized he would have to do even MORE.

With a huff he left the gym and went toward Pinwheel Forest's entrance once more. He decided he would spend the rest of his day grinding and would challenge the gym leader first thing in the morning. Mind made up, he set to battling every Pokemon in sight. With his new knowledge of audino, he practically leapt into the grass after them whenever his ears told him one was nearby. He found it immensely helpful, and his team grew quickly because of it. Although there was still some daylight left, he decided he would call it quits early after getting Doomeister one more level.

The Pokemon that showed itself to be the fire monkey's last battle for the day was a Sawk. This was no problem, as Doomeister and the others had taken them down before. With confidence, Black sent Doomeister into battle. When the Sawk was down to such low health that one more attack would finish it, Black commanded Doomeister to use his scratch. As usual, Sawk was faster, but Black was certain that his Pokemon could take anything it could dish out with what was left of his health. Sawk used its double kick, probably the one move that might be devastating to Doomeister if it landed critical strikes.

Fortune was not with Black that day. Sawk _did_ land a critical hit. In fact, it landed two. Doomeister dropped before it could even lay a claw on his foe. Black felt it again. A crushing weight on his heart. He released Sherman, using his confusion attack to more than finish off Sawk. Black stepped forward, picked up the body of his fallen comrade, and left the tall grass. He released his team, and said a few words. Fenrir dug up the soft ground just outside of the forest and Black laid the pansear down. All six took it in turn to cover the body. This had been the same way Black had laid Georgette to rest just that morning, although Sherman and Fairy wouldn't know that until later.

"Nuts, you and I are spending the rest of today training you up to the others' levels. I…I'm sorry…for putting you away like that." Black told the patrat as she walked beside him on their way back from the Pokemon Center where the PC was. "Doomeister is dead, and I feel like I had neglected you by switching for Sherman." He admitted. "And I had just come be able to understand him, too."

Nuts shook her head. "It wasn't your fault. You can't predict critical hits."

Black smiled faintly. "I heard that. And it doesn't matter. I should have switched him out. I'm still too inexperienced. I've lost two of my friends in one day. I can't let that happen again!"

Nuts climbed up onto his shoulder. "It's okay to cry when your heart has been torn apart you know."

Black nodded. "I know. Just…I can't get myself to cry right now. I'm too tired. I just want today to be over."

_R.I.P._

_Doomeister the Pansear_

_Given: Dreamyard, Level 10_

_Died: Pinwheel Forest Entrance, Level 17_

* * *

I wish I could say I'm sorry for giving you two deaths in a row, but this is really how it happened. Two Pokemon gone in one sitting.

But on the upside, I'm catching up to where I am in-game. I won't say where exactly I am, but just know that soon these updates may slow down as I finish playing catch up. Be patient with me, I'm still going strong with this, I promise!


	7. Chapter 7

True to his word, first thing Black did upon leaving the Pokemon Center the following morning was head for the gym again. Having already defeated the trainers, he had no trouble getting down into the basement where Lenora accepted challenges. The woman seemed cheerful enough, and welcomed Black with a smile. Their battle began somewhat unceremoniously, Lenora leading with a herdier. Black grinned. It seemed the extra training had indeed been worthwhile. Of course a gym leader would have evolved Pokemon, but she wasn't alone in that respect for his battle.

"Go, Kenny!" Black commanded, releasing the Pokemon. Because of the day before, she was no longer an oshawott, but a dewott. Already she had shown a considerable amount of strength more than she had had previously. Now was the time to put that to use. "Razor shell!"

"Yes sir!" Kenny cried out, pulling one of the shells from her body and striking the herdier. Already its hit points dropped considerably.

The two Pokemon carried on this way for a few rounds. Lenora even used a super potion to try and defeat Kenny. Black had planned for this, using one of his own to restore Kenny's health. With a few more exchanges, Kenny and her shells proved more than a match for the dog. She was too tired to handle Lenora's next Pokemon, though, and was recalled before her watchog was released. For it, Black decided Ashley would fight.

Ashley fought well, but her defense wasn't as good as Black had hoped. When she got put to sleep by the foe's hypnosis, he recalled her and sent out Fairy instead. Her air cutter was strong, and her defense decent. All the same she took a heavy beating thanks to being put to sleep as Ashley had. Growling with frustration, Black recalled her as well, deciding this time that Sherman was the way to go. His heart stamp attack seemed abnormally strong, and the watchog was on the verge of collapsing. Black smirked as he knew one more attack would bring it down.

So when Sherman was struck down by watchog's crunch, which it had not used before that time, Black was once more devastated. There he was, just about finished with defeating his second gym leader, after having lost two of his friends just the day before, and now a third one's body lay lifeless on the floor of a library. Black grit his teeth. He didn't feel like crying, nor was he particularly angry. It was an odd feeling, like an emptiness. In the same moment he acknowledged his Pokemon's death, he had already gotten over it. His hands shook. For a split second he feared he was becoming to the deaths of his team. He took a deep breath. There was no time to think on this right now. He was in the middle of a battle. He took another of his Pokeballs in hand, releasing the one inside.

"Watchog versus watchog." He stated as Nuts entered battle. "Nuts, I don't care what you do, just make sure we win!" he shouted.

He didn't pay any attention as she charged into battle, using her own crunch attack to bring down her opponent in one hit. Black picked up Sherman's body and held it to his chest. He would need to bury him as soon as possible. For the time being, he took the body back into what was its Pokeball and accepted the badge from Lenora. She frowned at the item in Black's hand that had his attention.

"You can revive him, you know." She stated. "Every Pokemon Center is more than capable of doing that."

Black shook his head. "No, I don't know why, but I feel that that is something I cannot do. To put it simply; it's against the rules."

Lenora didn't understand what he was talking about, but could tell that Black would never see his friend alive again. She took one of his hands and placed an item into it. Another TM. She gave a brief explanation of what the attack did. Black didn't pay any attention, recalling Nuts into her own Pokeball and preparing to leave the gym and the city.

Lenora's husband burst into the room. "Something is going on upstairs!" he cried. "Lenora, we need your help!"

Black's mind snapped back to reality, and he and Lenora sped up the stairs and into the museum. Sure enough, something was happening. A few Team Plasma members were causing trouble, claiming that one of the skeletons in the museum belonged to a rare and legendary Pokemon, and for that reason it must belong to them. To make matter worse, they used a smoke bomb and snatched the head of the large skeleton in the middle of the museum and made a run for it.

Lenora and Black gave chase, leaving the museum and heading outside. There they ran into Cheren, Bianca, and another trainer who had heard the commotion. After explaining what happened, the Black's friends agreed that they would stay behind and watch the museum and gym to prevent anymore attacks that might happen. Lenora introduced the third person as Burgh, the gym leader of Castelia City. Burgh suggested that he and Black go and get the skull back, as Team Plasma was heading for Pinwheel Forest. Black agreed, stopping only at the Pokemon Center before going with him.

When they reached the entrance, Black told Burgh to go on and see if he couldn't get ahead of them and hold them off. Thankfully the gym leader didn't ask any questions and went in on his own. Black waited until he was out of sight before releasing his team from their Pokeballs, including the deceased Sherman. The team knew what to do, and another hole was dug beside where Doomeister lay. Black placed the small bat down and they went through their routine of laying a friend to rest. Black took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing his eyes.

"I never got to hear your voice, Sherman. In some ways I thank you for that, but I'll always wonder just what kind of friend you would have been. I'll miss you. Georgette, Doomeister, watch over him, will you?" Black said aloud. His eyes watered, and for a moment Black felt reassured that he still cared enough to feel saddened at the loss of a Pokemon. Kenny put one of her hands on his leg to comfort him. He looked down to see the others in a similar state to his own. He wiped the moisture from his eyes and took another deep breath. "Come on. We have a job a do. There's also an empty space in the team now. We'll fix both of these problems in one go. Everybody ready?" he asked.

The others nodded. Up onto his shoulder went Nuts. Kenny hopped onto Ashley's back. Herdier and Ashley stood on either side of Black, and Fairy flew just above Herdier's head. Black had to smile at the formation. Somehow it made him feel that his team cared for him a lot.

The short funeral over and moral support in place, Black entered Pinwheel Forest for the first time. Burgh met him there, saying that he had just met with Team Plasma, and after defeating them they had run deeper into the forest. He said that there was a quick route that he would take to cut them off, and that Black should pursue them. Without another word the two spilt up once more, and Black took to the overgrown path to the west.

Much to his delight, he encountered a wild Pokemon very quickly. Thanks to Ashley's thunder wave, Black successfully caught a female cottonee without dealing too much damage to her. Thinking as quickly as he could, he decided that 'Maria' would suffice and used a paralyze heal on her.

She looked about at the others curiously. "Why is everyone out right now?"

"Speaking of which, you all were released when I was caught." Ashley stated. "Is this normal?"

"Is it?" Fairy asked. "I don't think anyone was really present for me…"

"Sometimes Bla- er…Master…" Kenny stopped and looked up at their trainer, afraid she had offended him by having almost used his name. "Um… Do you mind if we call you 'Black'?"

"I didn't even know you guys were talking to each other." Black chuckled. "I don't care what you call me so long as it isn't anything insulting."

"Black it is!" Herdier barked. "Black sometimes lets all of us out. Not always, but sometimes. Come on, Maria, join us!"

The puff of cotton looked around at how the others were flanking their trainer. A troubled look crossed her face as she found nowhere for her to go aside from his open shoulder. Her lack of limbs made that hard to occupy, and Kenny was the first to notice this. She sprang from Ashley's back and occupied the open space, allowing the puff to ride on the zebra. The newcomer hesitated.

"She hasn't shocked me while riding her, and I'm a water type." Kenny informed assured the newcomer.

Ashley smiled and gestured for her to go ahead. Maria gave a shy smile of her own and floated onto the zebra's back, resting there gently.

"Are we done yet?" Nuts asked, her tone indicating boredom. "In case everybody forgot, Team Plasma still has that skull-thing."

"You're getting rather large to be on my shoulder, you know that?" Black asked her, his tone suggesting that he was not liking hers.

"So is Kenny, but you don't seem to mind her." Nuts mumbled.

"Kenny has been with him longer than the rest of us. Cut her some slack." Herdier growled. The watchog narrowed her eyes at him.

Black shook his head. There was no reason to be arguing right now. Besides, Nuts had every right to be upset, given the recent circumstances. He chose to press onward than stand around and give the disagreement a chance to become anything worse. Sure enough, Team Plasma had gone the way Burgh had said they did. Because of the relatively low levels of their Pokemon, Maria easily brought the first two to their knees.

After them, Black encountered several Pokemon Rangers, claiming they wanted to battle him to make sure that he was not with Team Plasma. How a battle had anything do to with figuring that out was beyond him, as was why they had not stopped the real ones. Fairy and Maria proved more than a match for them and Black was allowed to continue his pursuit. Still further in he stumbled upon another member of Team Plasma, this time letting Kenny do the job with a few swipes of her razor shell.

Fairly confident that he was getting close to the exit, Black slowed his pace and began to look around. He had to admit, the forest was quite pretty. Everything was dark, but everything was also very green and lush. Even the rocks and fallen trees were covered in soft, beautifully shaded moss. For a moment Black felt confident that Doomeister and Sherman would like being buried there. The following moment pained him as he thought about the somewhat dreary cave Georgette was lying in. He would have to go back and do something to make that space more suitable for his former beloved pup. He shook his head again. Kenny nuzzled him softly, sensing his discontentment. Black thanked her softly and climbed onto a fallen log.

"Be careful, it's slippery." He told Herdier and Ashley. The two took his word to heart and were cautious in their steps so as not to fall.

Not too much further in, Black came upon the last of the grunts who had attacked the museum. Unlike the others, he had three Pokemon under his belt. Still he stood little chance, as Herdier and Kenny struck each of them down within two turns. Panicking, the grunt handed over the skull and ran for it. Watching him, Black saw that the road Burgh had taken wasn't too far. Upon stepping out onto it, Lenora approached him, stating that Burgh had called her to come watch the entrance of the forest on her side. Apparently she had seen the other grunts fleeing and had decided to step in just as Black finished up the job. She thanked him for the Pokemon skull and rewarded him with a moon stone. What he was going to do with a moon stone was beyond him, but he accepted it and continued on through and out of the forest.

"WHAT A VIEW!" Kenny cried out excitedly.

She and Nuts hopped down from Black's shoulders and all six Pokemon hurried to the edge of the Skynarrow Bridge to look out at the ocean that lay below them and the ships that ran by. Black smiled and joined them, leaning on the railing and looking over. Beneath the walkway was a road, and cars noisily ran in either direction along the bridge. But up above with the wind gently caressing the seven of them, Black and his team hardly noticed the offensive sounds. It really was beautiful, and very peaceful. Black let his team run back and forth to look out at both sides for a few minutes before he began to continue crossing.

"Come on guys. I know you all want to stay and enjoy yourselves, but right now we have to get to Castelia. You can't tell me you aren't injured from all that battling."

Even those he could not yet understand gave a noticeable whine of disappointment at this. Still they followed after his obediently. No one went back to their resting places, though, as they all wanted to keep looking out as they traveled along. Black was fine with this and relaxed his pace to give them time to take everything in. All the same, it seemed too soon that they had crossed the entire length of the bridge and went through the gatehouse that led into the largest city in Unova.

_R.I.P._

_Sherman the Woobat_

_Caught: Wellspring Cave, Level 12_

_Died: Nacrene City, Level 20_

* * *

Hey, look who's been all fancy and beta-read this chapter TWICE!

There's actually a reason behind my naming Maria what I did, but the explanation is rather long and boring. So to put it simply, whimsicott looks like a sheep to me, and in my mind "female sheep" = "Maria".

Also, I realized that some/all of my section-breaks (the "*****" you won't see in this one) are missing. I'll go back and fix this when I have the time.

Lastly, sorry if this chapter was a bit fast-paced. I haven't touched my game aside from checking a few things since I started writing this, so I'm very excited about being able to play it again. So my pacing may be a bit off thanks to being so close to my goal right now.


	8. Chapter 8

"HOLY SHIT THIS PLACE IS HUGE!" Black shouted.

The group had just entered the heart of Castelia City. Skyscrapers lined the busy streets, and people ran all along the roads. Even the Pokemon Center was in an exceptionally tall building. Black decided that he would have to spend some time exploring the area before going to the gym, and his team seemed to agree. After a quick stop to heal, he was on his way.

The first point of interest was an office building notorious within the city for its workers always looking to battle. Black brought each one down without too much effort, and was rewarded with an Exp. Share given by the janitor, who apparently was the strongest in the establishment.

After this, Black took the time to run up and down each of the many streets, stopping into the various office buildings and apartments. He was amazed by the number of generous folk who would freely give him items just for being a lively trainer. As he explored, he spotted the Pokemon Gym and made a mental note of its location, knowing he might forget where it was in the large place otherwise.

In the Central Area, Black stopped and purchased several drinks from the vending machines. He and his team occupied a bench and downed them, taking a break from walking and battling. Black watched a young man dancing near the statue. He didn't appear to be a beggar, dancing solely for enjoyment and to entertain anyone who stopped by. As he danced, Black spotted a Pokeball on his waist and decided he would ask for a battle. To his delight, the young man agreed. Fairy wiped out his pansage, and the young man laughed. Black did complement him on his dancing, and the young man mentioned wanting to gather others and make a troupe. Black told him that if he came across anyone, he would tell them. He was thanked and the man returned to his dancing.

Before going and searching the area for others, Black wanted to check out the Northern Road, which he had not yet been to. To his delight, a man who called himself the Name Rater resided there. He asked if there was a Pokemon Black wanted him to take a look at.

"Yeah, this herdier here…" Black said, picking up his dog and holding him out to the man. "I was wondering if I could call him something different."

The man looked over the dog and nodded to himself. "Yes, I believe this Pokemon could use a better name. Tell me, what would you like to call him?"

Black smiled. He had been thinking about this ever since he had caught Georgette and had chosen the perfect name for his second friend. "I want to call him Fenrir."

"Yes, that is an excellent name!" The man agreed. "From now on, this Pokemon shall be known as Fenrir." He stated, petting the dog's head.

Fenrir barked in approval of his new name and licked Black's face. Black thanked the man and returned to his exploring of the city. To his amazement, he found not one, but two people dancing in a similar way to the man he had seen before. When Black told them about the first, they agreed they would go and join him, but only if Black could defeat them in a battle. Maria brought down the panpour, and Kenny defeated the pansear. The two willingly went and joined up with the man in the Central Area. When Black next spoke to him, he gave him an amulet coin for the trouble.

"I'm liking this city. People give me free stuff!" Black laughed.

"Hey, Black, what about the gym?" Kenny asked as the afternoon began to drag on into early evening.

"Oh yeah, I should at least go check the place out." He agreed, heading for the area he was sure he had seen it in.

The gym wasn't hard to find again. However when Black went to open the door, he was surprised to meet with Cheren who was leaving the building. Before Black could ask what he was doing there, Cheren stated that Bianca had called him and seemed troubled. She was in the city, and he was just going to see what was wrong. She had said something about Team Plasma. With that, he ran off in the direction of the piers. Burgh, the gym leader of the city, also left the gym and ran after the source of the problem. Somewhat concerned about his friend, Black followed.

They found Bianca in tears. A young girl was with her, trying to comfort her. Burgh recognized the girl and introduced her as Iris. When Bianca had settled down enough to speak clearly, she explained that Team Plasma had just come and taken her Munna from her. Iris agreed to stay with her, and Burgh assured Black and his friends that Iris was an excellent trainer. After this the three went off in search of Team Plasma.

Black spotted him heading for the Central Area and followed after him. The three men he had helped just earlier pointed him in the direction of the very road the gym was on. Thinking this strange, Black continued his pursuit. Sure enough there was another grunt standing guard outside the building just across the street from the gym. When Black approached, the grunt attacked. Kenny, out leveling them by quite a bit, slaughtered the grunt's team. The man retreated inside, and much to his surprise Black was joined by Burgh, so also stated it was weird for them to be so close to his gym.

Once inside, Black found a familiar face. Ghetsis was flanked by his team grunts in the reception area. He approached the two and addressed Burgh. The two exchanged a few short words before Ghetsis grinned and spoke in a similar voice he had back in Accumula Town. He spoke of a black Pokemon that had once graced this land, and a hero whom had helped it. He claimed that Team Plasma would find this hero and bring that Pokemon back to Unova once more.

It was then that Bianca, Cheren, and Iris entered the building. Ghetsis looked over the group and ordered one of his grunts to return the Pokemon he had stolen. The grunt frowned and released Bianca's Munna, and she ran forward to reclaim her friend. Ghetsis watched her, muttering to himself that Pokemon must be freed. He bid the whole lot of them farewell, and he and Team Plasma vanished when the lights flickered out for a moment.

Cheren went on his way, and Bianca went off with Iris to explore the city and to train together. Burgh stated that he would be waiting in his gym for Black and he too went off. Black let out a sigh. It had been a long day, and he was exhausted. He took his team back into their Pokeballs save for Kenny and Fenrir. He went back to the Pokemon Center to get them healed and to take another rest. He wanted to get through Burgh's gym before turning in for the night, but considering the time he wasn't sure he would be able to. When his Pokemon were returned to him, he noticed that Kenny and Fenrir were laughing and talking together.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask something." He began as he placed his Pokeballs back onto his belt. "How often do you guys talk to each other? And not just you two, I mean everybody. I have to admit I don't usually listen when I'm exploring with you guys out."

"We talk quite a bit." Kenny stated. "Everyone is really friendly, and it's fun getting to know each other!"

"Even Nuts?"

"Well, she's got a bit of a temper, but she's not all bad." Fenrir explained. "You should talk with her more. She's been there through…" he hesitated, trying not to upset his trainer. "…well, everything. Just as we have. Be sure to tell her that you care for her, too."

Black nodded. "Alright. I'll have her with me tomorrow. You two ready to check out the gym?"

Both his Pokemon nodded, declined being carried, and the three went once more to the Pokemon Gym.

*.~.*.~.*

Once again the gym had a strange layout, although Black was grateful that he no longer had to prove his knowledge. He would have to thank Burgh for that. However it did involve him pushing his way through weird sticky walls colored like honey. There were gates covering some walls and switches on the floor that would raise said gates. The gym trainers, to Black's surprise, were dressed as clowns and battled with bug types.

"_Man, good thing I have Fairy."_ Black thought in the middle of a battle. _"Doomeister would have been a big help, though. Although this would have been bad for Sherman…"_ He shook his head. _"This is no time to be mourning everyone. Gotta keep going forward."_

Trainer after trainer, switch after switch, wall after wall, Black finally opened the path to Burgh himself. Black only took a moment to heal his team before he stepped forward to challenge the man. Black was amazed that both the gym leader's whirlipede and dwebble went down quickly to Fairy and Kenny respectively, even with the help of two hyper potions. Leavanny on the other had proved too much for the bird, and Black recalled her before any permanent damage could be done. Black decided it was as good a time as any for him to use Nuts.

Surprisingly, Nuts was quite eager to battle, and between her crunch and super fang attacks, Leavanny's health was dropped considerably. Not willing to risk losing Nuts to a critical hit, Black recalled her, and Fenrir was sent in to finish the job. Burgh congratulated him, stated that he had expected no less from what he had seen of Black before. Black was rewarded with the insect badge, which he placed into a case he had gotten earlier, right beside the basic badge from Lenora.

When Black left the gym, he received a call from Cheren and Bianca. The two were apparently on their way to Route 4 and were looking to battle him. Black agreed and said that he would be right there after healing. A quick trip back to the Center was made, and Black dashed to meet with his friends. Of course, the prospect of acquiring a new teammate helped his eagerness.

Sure enough, in the gate leading to Route 4, Bianca was waiting. Fenrir, Fairy, Nuts, and Kenny showed their stuff against her herdier, pansage, munna, and pignite. Bianca frowned when she was defeated, stating that even with Iris's training she still couldn't beat Black. Still she put on a smile and returned to town to get her team healed. Black went on ahead, meeting up with Cheren just down the road on Route 4.

Like Bianca's battle, this one was very one-sided. Pidove, liepard, panpour, and servine stood little chance against Black's team, although he had to admit that they proved a little more challenge than the others had. Cheren seemed satisfied with the battle, but troubled that he could never seem to win against Black. Shrugging, Black stepped out into the sandy desert that surrounded them. He knew there was another fire-type in the area, and hoped he would be able to catch one to fill that empty type-slot left by Doomeister.

So of course the first Pokemon Black came across was a sandile. Eager to take the wild Pokemon into his care anyway, Fenrir was sent into battle. Using his weakest attack, a tackle, Black hoped to be able to weaken it enough to catch without much trouble. Black had forgotten that Fenrir was a lot stronger with the low-level attack than any of the others on his team, and the sandile dropped after a single hit. Black facepalmed, and Fenrir gave Black's hand, which grasped an empty Pokeball, an apologetic lick.

_R.I.P._

_Sandile_

_Met: Route 4, Level 17_

_Died: Route 4, Level 17_

* * *

Hey, look at that fancy-schmancy section break! Yeah, look who is all cool now! But really, I do apologize about those missing before. This site loves taking them away from me. I will go back and put them back in place in previous chapters when I decide to stop being lazy.

So yeah, sandile. Note to self: Fenrir is always stronger than you think! This is not the first time his tackle has one-shot a wild Pokemon, so really I should have seen it coming.

I wanna thank _The Immortal Doctor Raid_ for not one, but two very encouraging reviews thus far. It's nice to know I've got a reader and am doing something right! And a thanks to _hawkfire111_ for the review literally as I was beta-reading the part of Black's battle with Cheren. The timing made me laugh and the review itself gave me even more reason to post this today.

I want to clarify something about Fenrir and his nickname. I had intended to call him that the moment I encountered him in the wild. But out of force of habit, I accidentally said I didn't want to nickname him. I decided to go with him being without a name up to this point to reflect that.

Now pardon me, I have reached the point I wanted to since starting this. I am off to continue playing again! I'll have more content here soon, I dare say!


	9. Chapter 9

Route 4 proved to be rather bland. It was a large desert with some construction work going on and not much else. A sandstorm kicked up most of the time and made battling a little more difficult, but nothing Black and his team couldn't handle. Upon reaching the end of the route, Black noticed there was another road to the west. He decided he may as well check it out before entering Nimbasa City.

As Black walked deeper into the desert, he became aware that this was in fact an area separate from Route 4. With excitement, he began to scour the sands for a new teammate. Sure enough, a wild maractus challenged him. With the aid of Maria's weakened attacks, Black successfully lowered its hit points and captured it without much of a challenge. After naming her Carol and sending her on her way, he began to wonder if he would ever need the great and ultra balls he had purchased.

With a new Pokemon in his PC, Black went further still into the Desert Resort. The desert here was large and mostly empty. There were a few small dunes and Black could see trainers dotting the landscape. The first was a young doctor who was watching over the trainers and Pokemon of the area. Black had to admit that fighting his solosis was a bit of a challenge, which made him confident that it was worth his while to train there. Upon winning, the doctor offered to heal his Pokemon, and said that he would anytime Black asked.

Although technically he was still in the same area that he had captured the maractus, Black felt that it should be acceptable to capture another, as the two places were rather different from each other. This was a similar case to Pinwheel Forest, and having caught two Pokemon there, he decided it wouldn't hurt to repeat.

The first he came across, much to his delight, was a darumaka. Being much lower in level than Black's team, he used the same method to lower her hit points as he had before. Ashley's flame charge did damage in small amounts, and with the help of a couple potions, she stood up to the Pokemon long enough for Black to capture it. Selecting the first name that came to his mind, the new Pokemon was called Fall and sent to the PC as well.

"_Got to remember to switch her for somebody."_ Black thought as he began exploring the "resort". He hesitated and mulled the thought over. While it was indeed nice that he now possessed another fire type, he found it hard to decide who o trade her for. Kenny and Fenrir were out of the question. Fairy, Maria, and Ashley were also much needed. The only one that made sense to swap out was Nuts. This pained him at the mere thought and he shook the feeling away. "No. Nuts is not going to be traded. I'm not going through _that_ again." He whispered to himself. In the end, the only thing Black could think to do was to stick with his current team.

The trainers in the area were mostly backpackers. Here and there he ran into a psychic or a ranger. They put up decent fights, and Black found it rewarding to bring them down. It was a great feeling considering the ease of which he had defeated most other trainers as of the past few days. The only thing that disappointed him was the harsh weather preventing him from having a companion out as he navigated the dunes.

Deep within the resort, Black came across what looked like the ruins of a tower. He went inside, but found no way to go further. He did, however, come across a Pokemon he had never seen before. It was a Yamask. Ashley's pursuit and Nut's crunch brought the ghost down, and Black hurled a Pokeball at it. To his surprise, it broke free. After two more broken Pokeballs and a failed great ball, Black decided it was time to quit playing around and hurled an ultra ball. It did the job.

"YES! First male I've caught in what feels like forever!" Black celebrated. "And he's a toughy, too. Now um…what to name him." Black's face twisted as he thought. He had caught so many females a male's name hadn't even crossed his mind in awhile. He scribbled down each letter of the alphabet, consonants in one area, vowels in another, and decided to leave the newcomer's name to chance. Pointing randomly back and forth between the two sections, he created a string of letters that he found suitable. "Dojayivu… Yeah, okay, that's cool." He said, sending him to the PC. "Productive day today." He laughed as he exited the Relic Castle.

Intending to leave the resort, Black began to travel to the east. His leaving was interrupted by the sight of several strange objects sitting around an opening in the sand. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to be statues. Black laid a hand on one and was surprised to find it was warm and soft to the touch. He looked at them a moment longer and found them to be similar to a darumaka, although they were much larger. After a few minutes and poking and nudging them, he determined that it was useless. Instead he turned his attention to the opening in the sand. It was a stairway leading down. He descended.

The place was not uninhabited. In fact, the sounds of construction work could be heard from lower floors and a scientist and a few psychics sat in wait for said work to be completed. Black learned from the scientist that quicksand dotted the place. Sure enough, two large pits of it were on the floors around them. Using Ashley to defeat the physics, Black decided to try and navigate around the sand pits. He failed and fell through the center and down to the lower floor. Cursing his false step, he climbed his way up a set of stairs back to the first floor. The scientist smiled at him as he brushed the sand off his clothing.

"Oh shut up." Black grumbled as he walked past.

This time, Black was more careful in his walking and managed to make his way around the treacherous parts. He was stopped before he could go any further by a worker. He had figured this would happen, but he thought he would try. A woman standing nearby had apparently thought the same, stating that she wouldn't be able to go on anyway, what with how heavy her backpack was. She explained that she was taking a rest, but that she dreaded going on again. She seemed to get an idea when she spotted the Pokeballs Black was carrying.

"Hey, would you like to have one of these fossils?" she asked.

"Er, sure. I guess."

The woman brought out two fossils. One looked like the shell of a turtle, the other a feather. Black looked them over, thinking about which would be best to take. In the end he chose the Plume Fossil, having a small weakness for prehistoric birds and hoping one day he might be able to have one on his team.

Potential fourth Pokemon of the day acquired, Black decided it was best to not sit around and wait for the sand on the lower floors to be removed. He went back outside to once more be bombarded by a sandstorm. He groaned. He was tired of all the sand. A thought struck him and he released Ashley.

"Hey, you're fast. Would you carry me out of here?" he asked the small blitzle that was half his size.

She peered up at him and turned so that Black could easily climb onto her back. "Oh you, get on." She laughed. Black blushed. "Huh? What's the matter? Did I say something wrong?" she asked, concerned. Black shook his head.

"S-Sorry. I didn't expect you to have such a kind voice…" he stated, sitting on her back.

She laughed again. "It's nice to speak with you."

"Yeah. It is. Now, head south and we should be able to find the way out of this place. I think I can take it from there." Black instructed.

"Not a problem!" Ashley chimed and began to gallop through the sandy dunes.

*.~.*.~.*

As Black entered the city and dismounted Ashley, he heard a commotion. Fearing Team Plasma was present, he hurried to see what was going on. Just as he had predicted, they had decided it was time to try and take more Pokemon from people. This time it was an elderly man.

"We're trying to free all Pokemon from their trainers! Since you're the one who owns the Day Care, that means you must have a lot. Hand them over!" one of the grunts exclaimed.

"What? I would never give them to you!" The old man snapped. He looked around for help and spotted Black. He dashed his way over to the young man. "You look like a strong trainer! Help me!"

Roped into a battle, Black sent the first Pokemon that he had handy into battle. His foe released a watchdog, followed by a trubbish. To Black's surprise, both went down very easily, despite his last hardships fighting a watchdog. He worried that he wouldn't be able to grind very well for the next gym battle if people kept being easy to fight. The two grunts took a step back, saying it best that they retreat for now. They fled in the direction of what looked like an amusement park.

Black was about to go after them, but the old man stopped him. "Thank you so much!" he exclaimed. "Here, I bought this awhile ago intending to ride around Nimbasa City with it, but I never got around to it." He brought out a folding bicycle from his bag and handed it to Black. "Make good use of it."

With that the old man wandered off towards Route 4. Black stuck the bike into his own bag, thinking about what had just happened. It took him a few moments to realize that the old man was the father of the woman who owned the preschool. At the preschool were young children he had gotten into battles with.

"…OH ARCEUS! I hope he doesn't find out and come to kill me!" Black shouted in a panic, receiving strange looks from both passerbys and Ashley. Realizing that he was making a scene, Black quickly ran off in the direction of the Pokemon Center.

His team healed, he figured it was time to pursue Team Plasma. Usually when they showed up, there was more going on than just a few grunts wanting trainers' Pokemon. As he entered the amusement park, he spotted the familiar green hair belonging to N. He hesitated. N had a funny way of showing up where Team Plasma did. He considered leaving, but N spotted him and approached him first.

"You're looking for Team Plasma, right? They ran this way. Come with me." He stated, grabbing Black's hand and dragging him along before he could comprehend what the other had just said.

N led him deep into the park. He stopped beside the entrance of the Ferris wheel, and the area was mostly deserted. Black glanced down at their joined hands nervously as N looked around them rapidly.

"They're not here." N said, looking up at the giant ride. "Let's ride the Ferris wheel and see if we can spot them." He suggested, releasing Black's hand and pushing him into the short line. Black felt his cheeks coloring at all the strange contact he was receiving. "I love Ferris wheels…"

"Huh?" Black asked, barely catching what the other was muttering about.

"The circular motion… The mechanics… They're like collections of elegant formulas." N continued to ramble.

Black got onto the ride along with N, and the latter waited until the ride began before saying anything more. Black had thought the silence quite awkward, especially considering N was staring right at him the entire time.

"First, I must tell you... I am the king of Team Plasma." N said softly.

"Wait, what?" Black asked, staring back at him. "I shouldn't be surprised that you are with them, but, king?"

" Ghetsis asked me to work with him to save Pokémon." N continued, ignoring what Black had said. "I wonder how many Pokémon exist in this world."

"_Six-hundred and forty-nine if I remember right…"_ Black thought, realizing that N wasn't going to listen to him right now.

N remained silent for the rest of the ride, but his gaze remained set on Black. It was making him fidget. He wasn't used to being stared at, and the fact that it was this nutjob made it worse. Sure, he was a fairly attractive nutjob, but a nutjob nonetheless. Black shook his head vigorously when they finally got off the ride and N took his eyes off of him. Something was not right with his head, and he decided that he would have to turn in early.

The two grunts from earlier ran up to them as they left the ride.

"Lord N! You're alright!" one of them shouted.

"We have to get out of here! That person…"

N help up a hand, silencing them. "There's no problem. You're part of the people we brought in to help us save the Pokémon. So, you're under my protection, as well. Go, quickly, and let my battle cover your retreat." He told them. The two nodded and wasted no time in running away. "...Now then, Black, do you follow my logic?" he asked.

"I think I do." Black stated.

N smiled. "If true, your words please me. Ah. Then… The future I envision… Perhaps I can't beat you here and now, but I'll battle you to buy time for these members of Team Plasma to get away!"

And just like that, Black found himself in another battle. Again Black was surprised by the relative ease of beating N. His only needed to switch Pokemon once. Against his sigilyph, Black had to switch Ashley for Nuts in order to deliver the finishing blow. N was smiling as the battle ended. They returned their Pokemon, and N took a step closer to Black, invading his personal space and speaking close to his ear.

"You're quite strong. But I have a future that I must change. And, for that future... I'll defeat the Champion and become unbeatable, unlike any other! I'll make all Trainers free their Pokémon! Just try and stop me! If you want to be together with Pokémon, your only hope is to collect the Badges from each area and head for the Pokémon League! Try and stop me there, if you dare! If your conviction is not strong enough, you will never be able to defeat me."

N grinned at the red face Black had. In the time of the young trainer's confusion, N turned and darted after his team's grunts. Black had to slap himself in the face in order to start thinking straight again. He let out a sigh and made his way for the Pokemon Center. Today had been a very, very long day…

* * *

So yeah, I have now caught up to where I am in the game so...expect these updates to be less frequent. I'll try to get at least one chapter a week, though. We'll see. Oh and this is literally the farthest I have gotten in these games. So from here on out I have no clue as to what I am doing!

Also, sorry if any of you were disturbed by the slight NxBlack there at the end. I swear N likes the Black/White characters. It's kinda creepy, but then again I am a fan of that kind of thing. I promise there will not be any romance in this series save for comedic value.

And last but not least, VERY productive chapter, despite the lack of content! It's the longest yet, and three Pokemon were caught, along with a fossil. WOOT WOOT!


	10. Chapter 10

Completely ignoring the fact Black had what was basically a brand new bike; he began to explore Nimbasa City on foot. With him he had Kenny and Fenrir, having come to enjoy their company a lot. In addition to them, he had decided to spend more time with Nuts, and she too was walking around with him. She didn't seem too thrilled about it, but it was the only way try and get closer to her.

The first place to be explored was Battle Subway. A quick look around and a few questions being asked told Black all he needed to know about the place. While it sounded like it would be a lot of fun to compete in, it also sounded like a perfect place for his Pokemon to die. He left the station without participating at all.

Next up was the Musical Hall. He met Bianca outside, and she dragged him in. A man greeted the two and told them of the wonders of dressing up Pokemon in flashy outfits. He gave them both a pink box to keep these decorations in and insisted that the two dress up their Pokemon right there and then. Nuts turned away from the offer, and Fenrir growled when Black looked at him. Kenny on the other hand was eager to try it out. After putting a grass skirt and hat on her, Black completely lost any interest he might have had for the Musical Hall. Bianca seemed to like it, though.

Upon leaving the place, an older man approached them. It was Bianca's father, and he was dead set on taking her back home. Black separated himself from the two as they began to make a scene right there on the street. Bianca's father shouted about how his daughter wasn't experienced enough and would most certainly suffer hardships if she continued. Bianca on the other hand insisted that she was old enough and wanted to see for herself what the world had to offer no matter the consequences. Black was just about to leave the two to their own problems when a young woman in yellow approached.

"Sweetie, you keep going on your travels." She said as she got within earshot of the shouting pair. Bianca's father glared at her.

"And just who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Elesa. I'm this town's Gym Leader. I also happen to be a model." The woman stated with a smile. She continued to address Bianca's father, saying there are many kinds of people, and how each of them has their own way of thinking. Yes, they were likely to get hurt, but that was okay. She said that trainers especially should be encouraged to think differently because they always had Pokemon by their side. They would help their trainer and you could always depend on them. Black looked down at Nuts, who was entirely disinterested in what was going on.

Bianca's father frowned. In the end he allowed his daughter to keep going with what she was doing and left. Elesa then turned to Bianca and Black.

"He must have been a trainer in the past." She said. "Did I meddle unnecessarily? You looked troubled."

Bianca shook her head. "No, thank you. I think I'll keep traveling until I find out what I want to do with my life." Bianca stated.

Elesa smiled. "By the way, if you're trainers, please stop by the gym. I'll teach you a little something about how tough a journey can get." And with that she turned and left the two.

Bianca wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to Black excitedly. She exclaimed how this city had so much to offer and then decided to go sightseeing for awhile. Black watched her go before kneeling down to Nuts.

"Can I count on you to protect me?" he asked, smiling.

Nuts twitched her tail and turned away from him even more. Black chuckled and pet her head. She stiffened up at the contact, but after a moment relaxed.

"…Yeah. I'll battle for you." She mumbled.

"Thanks. That's all I need."

The rest of the city proved nothing of interest to Black. The Sports Domes events might have been worth a go, but as no one was around to directly tell him what was going on with them, he chose to be lazy and not give it a shot. The Battle Institute wouldn't take him in, and so he left it almost the moment he walked in the door. All that was left was to return to the amusement park where the gym was located. He cringed at the memory of what had happened there just the day before, but brushed the thought from his head.

As usual, the gym had some weird gimmick he had to get through in order to even lay eyes on the leader. This time it was in the form of pressing switches to change the way the cars on a "roller coaster" followed the track. The gym trainers disappointed Black, as they only had two species of Pokemon at their disposal, and despite their levels being roughly the same as Black's, their teams went down without much trouble. The only thing that gave him problems was the fact that nearly every foe paralyzed his Pokemon. After defeating each of the gym trainers, he left to get a complete recovery at the Pokemon Center and to stock up on healing items.

While he was resting, he thought about what he was about to go up against. No doubt Elesa would have at least one emolga and a blitzle, as those were all the trainers had used. After thinking about it for a moment, it struck Black that Ashley was quite near evolving, and because of that, Elesa would probably have a zebstrika. Kenny and Fairy were both basically useless this time around. Maria, too, would not be a wise choice as Black was well aware of flame charge's existence. In the end he decided the only way he would be able to go was with Nuts, Fenrir, and Ashley.

"Okay, Fenrir, Nuts, I'm trusting you two to do most of the work here. Ashley, you're resistant to electric attacks entirely. Can I trust you to stand up to a zebstrika long enough to heal these two if need be?"

Ashley looked down at her hooves, thinking this over. "…I think so." she nodded and gave her trainer a confident smile. "I'll do what I can." She told him.

"Alright. Let's got to this!"

*.~.*.~.*

Leading the charge of Black's fourth gym battle was Nuts. For Elesa one of two emolga was sent out. Annoyingly enough, she insisted on using volt switch to flip between the two flying squirrels. Nuts super fanged and crunched her way through one of them, despite Elesa's use of a hyper potion. Admittedly Black had to pump several super potions into his Pokemon in order to make it that far. As the other emolga was released, Black switched the tired watchog out for Fenrir. The dog got one good tackle out before the foe once again used its volt switch. Just as Black had predicted, Elesa possessed a zebstrika, and it was sent out. Thanks to a second hyper potion under her belt, Fenrir proved unable to stand up against the large zebra. Healing him was mostly useless, as he would be dealt an almost equal amount of damage right afterward.

It was time to call in the backup he had planned for. He swapped Fenrir for Ashley, and sure enough the first attack she got struck by was spark, doing no damage and instead boosting her special attack. While the boost meant nothing for the battle as Ashley's only special move was spark, it gave Black a chance to recover Nuts. Ashley only stood up to a single flame charge due to her low defense, but that was all that was needed. Upon the next turn, Ashley was once more recalled and Nuts reentered battle ready to finish things. Her teeth did not fail Black, and her super fang brought down the highest leveled foe. Following it, the half-beaten emolga stood no chance as Nuts' teeth chewed right through it once she was healed up again.

Black barely had enough time to wipe the sweat off his brow when he realized the battle had eaten through most of the potions he had just stocked up on. Thankfully he had way too much money. In fact, he wasn't sure if he was supposed to have that much or not. He began to think on this, but was of course interrupted by Elesa giving a typical end-of-battle speech that seemed mandatory for all gym leaders.

What surprised Black was that she stumbled over her words as she spoke to him. "My, oh my… You have a sweet fighting style. I mean, you're a great trainer! Excuse me, I uh… Oh here! I want you to have this!" she said as she thrust a bolt badge and TM into Black's hands. She couldn't seem to look at him as he took the items and put them away, ignoring her odd behavior. Nuts on the other hand, raised an eyebrow at her.

"Uh, you realize she's blushing, right?" Nuts asked her trainer.

"Yeah. I know. I'm trying to be polite about it." Black replied, causing some confusing as Elesa could not hear the Pokemon's voice. "Oh, don't worry about it." He told her. "That was to Nuts."

"Right..." She said, taking a breath and regaining her calm and cool demeanor. "You want to go to Driftveil City next?"

"I think so?"

"Of course. There's a Pokemon Gym there, after all." A thought seemed to strike her. "Oh… I bet you won't be able to get there. You know what? I'll fix it so you can cross. Wait for me on Route 5." She told him.

With a shrug, Black picked up Nuts, which greatly confused the Pokemon, and took the last of the roller coasters back to the front of the gym. Outside he set her up on his shoulder, which she did not object to, but had to wonder what was going on.

"You okay, Black?" she asked.

Black smiled fondly at her. "Thanks for today." He stated. "You're welcome to cling to me whenever you like, no matter how heavy and big you are. I hope you stay on the team for a long time."

Nuts fell silent. She then looked away in a huff, but it was different from earlier. To Black it appeared she was more annoyed at her lack of words than angry with him.

A quick stop to the Pokemon Center to get his team healed and another thanks given out to both Fenrir and Ashley, Black decided it was time to get out of the city. Routes 5 and 16 were both connected Nimbasa, and according to Elesa, the former was where he should be heading. So naturally he decided that would be the last way he would go. After all, Route 16 might have another Pokemon waiting to be captured!

* * *

First of all, nice to have you reviewing again, _hawkfire111. _I actually did skip over your advice for the gym until I went to do all the pre-post write-up stuff I do down here. I'm not so much afraid of spoilers as I don't want more prior knowledge to this run than I already have, if that makes any sense. Part of the reason I went with Black version (which I'll get into more much later on) is that I really have no clue what I am in for. So little things like how to defeat gym leaders easier is something I don't want to learn beforehand because it will influence my natural learning of the game. (I'm right about to go to bed as of writing this, so I am not sure how much sense I am making. I apologize.)

Um, I don't really have all that much to say about this particular chapter aside from it took way too long. To be honest I don't care about all the extra stuff that got put into this city. At all. I never have been interested in the contests and whatnot in previous games. So if I _do_ try anything out, it will be after I beat the game. Meaning you are not likely to see any of it.

I suppose I _could_ say for the sake of adding to my word count and making it seem like this chapter was more productive than it probably was, I cannot stand Bianca at all at this point in the game. She's just too whiny and every time I turn around I either have to fix or witness a problem of hers, it seems. And I don't actually know what they were trying to do with Elesa after the gym battle in her dialog, but it sure sounded like she was flustered to me. So I just went with that. (Similar can be said for N in the previous chapter. No, seriously, is there a reason he gets so close to Black as he speaks or why he would go through the trouble of taking him on a Ferris wheel in a Japanese game other than he likes the main character?) Also, am I the only one who reads everything Elesa says in a southern-belle voice/accent thingy? Yes? Thought so.

And before I ramble on too much more, I'm going to end with something I think will actually be of interest to you, the readers! Because I am now on even ground with my game, I can now say exactly what my team is like as far as levels, evolutionary stage, and attacks. So I think after major events (like gym battles) I'll post that info for anyone interested. As of defeating Elesa, and not taking a single step after, my team looks like this:

_Kenny the Level 26 Female Dewott- _Tackle, Water Pulse, Water Gun, Razor Shell

_Fenrir the Level 26 Male Herdier- _Tackle, Leer, Crunch, Bite

_Ashley the Level 26 Female Blitzle- _Spark, Flame Charge, Pursuit, Shock Wave

_Fairy the Level 26 Female Tranquill-_ Gust, Air Cutter, Leer, Quick Attack

_Nuts the Level 26 Female Watchog- _Tackle, Crunch, Bite, Super Fang

_Maria the Level 26 Female Cottonee- _Razor Leaf, Leech Seed, PoisonPowder, Giga Drain- Holding a Miracle Seed

(Yes, I am still an "old-school" Pokemon gamer who pays no attention to EVs, natures, stat-effecting moves, etc. Deal with it.)


	11. Chapter 11

Route 16 once again left Black wondering how his morality could be determined by a Pokemon battle. A policeman had challenged him to make sure he was not up to no good. After defeating the man, Black was allowed to explore as he saw fit. Cyclists and backpackers covered the route, each of which was defeated at the hands of Black's team.

After clearing most of the area of trainers, Black turned his attention to the grass. Anything that lay within was suitable to him, although admittedly he would prefer one whose type was he did not yet possess. This did not diminish his excitement when a minccino was the first Pokemon he encountered. There was however a problem. It was several levels below his team, and the last thing he wanted was to knock it out. Thinking it over carefully, he used Maria and her mega drain to do as little damage as possible. It was effective, and with only one broken Pokeball, Black caught the chinchilla.

"Alright!" he exclaimed. "Another normal type! And it's male!" he grinned, receiving a worried look from the ball of cotton. Ignoring it, Black set to thinking about a name for the new Pokemon. In the end, Terrance was chosen and the newcomer was sent to the PC.

A little ways in from where Black had caught the minccino, he came across a small tree blocking his way. His first thought of course was that he just had to cut it down, but this stung his heart as he remembered the only Pokemon who had used that move before was no longer with him. With Doomeister gone, another of his team would have to take up the task of learning and using cut. He released his team and looked them all over.

"So…which of you can learn this?" he asked, holding up the HM.

Kenny and Nuts raised their hands.

"Master! Master! Let me!" Kenny shouted, jumping up and down excitedly. "My shells will chop right through that tree!" as if to prove her point, she snatched them up from her sides and began striking at the air.

Black shook his head. "No. Not you, Kenny. I'm sorry. I don't want to sacrifice the only attack you have that might be useful for capturing new Pokemon." He explained. "Nuts, come here." While Kenny frowned and tucked her shells away, Nuts sighed and stepped forward. She forgot her tackle, and instead learned how to slice down the tree blocking the way. With a few gnashes of her strong teeth, the tree fell and Black was able to continue exploring.

The rest of that area proved of little value, granting Black only a rare candy which he would probably never use. He dropped it into his bag and went back to the road. There was one other section of the route for him to explore, but this time there was a large boulder in the way of his making progress. Once more he had to decide which of his team would learn an HM attack. For strength, only Fenrir and Nuts could learn it. This was a no-brainer to Black. Since Nuts had just learned a new move, and Fenrir was the muscle of the team and had an attack ready to be forgotten, it fell on the dog to move the boulder.

With what appeared to be little effort, the dog placed his front paws on the boulder and shoved it forward, rolling it into a ditch and out of the way. With that done, Black recalled most of his team, leaving only Fairy and Maria to keep him company. The two had been with him awhile, and he had yet to hear their voices. He hoped that by having them around they would be able to speak to him sooner.

His wish was granted not long after when he stumbled upon a piece of charcoal. Doomeister's grinning face flashed in the front of Black's mind, followed by Georgette and Sherman. He sighed and sat down on the ground, turning the power-up in his hands.

"Fairy, you got to meet Doomeister and Sherman, didn't you?" he asked.

"I did, although I didn't get to know them well." She answered.

"Who were they?" Maria asked.

"A pansear and a woobat. Both of them are buried outside Pinwheel Forest, where I caught you." Black explained. "Sherman I'm sure would have been a good friend. He was quite strong. His heart stamp I think was just as impressive to me as Fenrir's tackle. Doomeister…he was a great Pokemon. I miss him. His death taught me a lot." Black looked up at the sky. "Neither of you ever met Georgette, though."

Both Pokemon turned their heads in curiosity.

"She was a lillipup. She was Fenrir's girlfriend, I dare say. Fenrir…he may have forgiven me for letting her die but…" Black shook his head. Fairy hopped up onto his leg and pecked cheek. "HEY!" Black shouted upon being hurt.

"Don't dwell on it." She told him. "You still care about her, even in death. And if Fenrir is okay, that's more than enough. Same goes for Doomeister and Sherman. Now pick yourself up and let's move on. Right Maria?" she asked, turning her head to the ball of cotton.

"Eh? U-uh…well…" Maria stuttered, shrinking back a little. "I-I don't know… I do think we should keep moving but… I don't think you should be rude about it…"

Black picked Fairy off his lap, setting her aside and standing up again. "No, it's alright. I understand. Thanks you two. Come on. It looks like there's a forest just over there. We should check it out while we're here. After that, I think we should go to Route 5. Elesa's probably tired of waiting."

In the Lostlorn Forest, Black activated a dowsing machine he had received from Bianca awhile ago. He didn't use it much, but he had a feeling there would be buried items in such an untraveled place. As he walked around, trying to pick up a signal, he encountered another wild Pokemon to be captured. This time it was a Swadloon. Using the same tactic as he had for Terrance, Maria slowly lowered its HP until Black was able to capture it.

"…Crap, I need a name." Black stated. "Um…" a weird thought struck him, and he had to smile. "I dub thee 'Captain' ShinyPants!" he exclaimed as the Pokeball was sent off to the PC. Once more his Pokemon had to question their trainer's sanity. "Hey, it isn't my fault that coming up with names is tiring! Besides, not everyone I capture has to have a name that makes sense! Dojayivu can attest to that!"

With his stupidly cheerful mood acquired, Black marched deeper into the forest. Fairy and Maria exchanged a look and both sighed before chasing after their trainer. A short ways in, Black's dowsing machine alerted him to an item. After doing a bit of hunting, Black discovered that whatever it was lay way up on top of a cliff. He didn't know what was up there or how he would ever get to it, but for the time being it was out of his reach. He kicked the ground and grumbled to himself.

A backpacker heard this and hurried over to him.

"Hey, there's a strange person in this forest. She's over there, living in that trailer. Doesn't seem like the type who likes company. You best be cautious about her." He warned before sprinting off.

Confused, Black went to investigate. Sure enough, deep in the forest sat an old trailer. Black stepped up to the door and knocked. He heard movement from inside, but the door remained closed. He knocked a few more times, and got no response. He was about to leave, but something compelled him to try the doorknob. It was unlocked.

He opened the door just a crack and peered inside. A woman stood in the kitchen with her back to the door. Black pushed the door open just a bit further and put a foot inside. "Um…hello?" he asked. "Sorry to intrude but he cut himself off. The woman had not even flinched. In fact, she was not moving at all. She was just standing there staring at the wall. Black opened the door further and carefully went inside. Fairy and Maria followed his lead.

"…Hello?" Black inquired again, slowly approaching her. His heart was racing, and his hand shook as he reached out towards her. "Ma'am, are you alright?" he asked. His hand just barely touched her shoulder and she whipped around, startling him and causing him to cry out. The woman stood there perfectly still and stared unblinking into Black's eyes, sending shivers down Black's back. Still the woman did not move, her light blue eyes locked on the trainer before her. "Um…sorry for the intrusion." He found himself whispering as he began to walk backwards to the door. "I'll just be…going now."

He decided he could not leave the trailer soon enough. Without a second thought he bolted out of the place and for the exit of the forest, his Pokemon hurrying after him. Once outside and in the sunlight again, he let out a heavy breath. His heart beat was still rapid and his body shaking. That backpacker was right; that woman was strange. Not wanting to think about it, Black pushed the woman from his mind, recalled his Pokemon, and began to head back to Nimbasa City. There was still much to be done that day.

* * *

I'm not entirely sure why this took so long for me to write. My guess is because I kept getting reminded of Doomeister. I am glad to have it done, though.

And before anyone tells me, I know about the woman in Lostlorn Forest. I even looked up that thing's eye color just for accuracy's sake. I thought about actually doing that part, but concluded that if I was going to ever do so, it would be after I finish the game. Why? Quite frankly I want to be able to capture it, which I cannot do right now.


	12. Chapter 12

Of course Black could not so much as set foot on a new route without getting a visit from Cheren. After thoroughly beating his team into the ground yet again, Cheren seemed just as displeased as before. While he grumbled on, Elesa caught up to them, saying they should follow her. She led them down the route and to where a group of entertainers were showing off for a small crowd. A man in the group spotted them and called out.

"Oh! Why, if it isn't Elesa! Aren't festivals grand? Life should be enjoyed!" he exclaimed happily.

Cheren looked away from the man in disgust. "You're Alder, the Unova Region Champion. What are you doing here goofing off?"

"I heard that remark." The man said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're a judgmental young person, are you not? My name is Alder. I'm the Unova Pokemon League's Champion. Pleased to make your acquaintance. For your information, I'm not goofing off. I'm on a voyage. I know every corner of Unova."

"Oh really? Well I'm traveling to become the Champion right now." Cheren stated.

"Hm. Traveling with a goal in mind is a commendable thing. And what do you plan to do after becoming the Champion?"

Cheren hesitated. "Afterward? Well…become even stronger, of course!"

"Hmm. Becoming stronger... Becoming stronger, you say... Is that alone enough of a goal?" He smiled at the young man beside Black. "Hmmm. It's not that I'm trying to say your way of thinking is wrong... In my travels, I've helped many people learn to love Pokémon. I think that's important, too." He looked over at a couple of preschoolers he had been looking after in the crowd. "If you play with those children, you might gain more of an understanding. Will you two have a Pokémon battle with those two? Hey you two. Come here for a moment."

The two children heard him call and came running over. Black took a step back. "Wait, why are you getting _me_ involved in this? I already love my Pokemon! Besides, I've already beat up so many children just getting here! You think I _like_ being a bully?" he cried out. No one paid attention to his objections. Rather, Cheren turned his attention to Black's Pokemon and offered to heal them. Black handed over his Pokeballs. "What are you? My personal nurse?" he asked.

"I just don't think it would be fair for them to battle as they are!" he stated, handing them back after a moment of care.

Black rolled his eyes and the battle began. The two children both had a herdier, Cheren released his Liepard, and Black chose to use Ashley, whom had evolved into a zebstrika right after the battle with Cheren. Surprisingly the children put up quite a fight, and Cheren's Liepard was knocked out. In its place, he released Servine. Black decided to do similar and switched Ashley for Kenny. The two Pokemon, whom had not gone face to face with each other since first being obtained by their trainers, worked surprisingly well together. They both hit hard, and the preschoolers' Pokemon fell.

"Nicely done! You didn't win, but that was a good battle. Your Pokémon looked like they were having fun." Alder told the children. They both exclaimed how much fun it was to be with the Pokemon they loved before scurrying back into the small crowd to watch the street performers. Alder watched them go before returning his attention to Cheren. "Young man, if there are people like you who pursue strength, there are also people who are happy just being with Pokémon. There are many different people and many different answers. When it comes to what a Champion should be, you and I may hold differing views, but so be it! Give it some thought." He gave a quick farewell to Elesa before returning to the crowd himself.

Cheren grumbled to himself, and the gym leader continued down the route. Cheren followed her. Black on the other hand, released his team and began exploring the route. First thing was first, he wanted a new Pokemon. In the grasses he encountered a gothita. The sight of such a childish, frilly Pokemon made him groan, but nonetheless he took care in whittling down its health and capturing it. After naming the newcomer Stephany and sending her to the PC, he set to training his team more.

One after the other he challenged and brought down a baker, a clown, a musician, a dancer, and an artist. In the grasses he found two backpackers, and defeated them, too. To his delight the levels of his team evened out with each other with just these few battles, and he decided he was finally ready for whatever it was Elesa had in store for him.

* * *

I want to apologize for the lateness and shortness of this chapter. I borrowed Dragon Age II from a friend a few days ago, and it has been eating up most of my waking hours...

Also, thank you again _hawkfire111_ for your review. It, along with all the other reviews I've gotten, help to give me reason to continue. I love writing this, but it's always encouraging to know others enjoy reading it.

This particular part of the game was rather boring for me, though. All this talk about being friends with Pokemon and that it's more than just becoming stronger? Been there, done that. Five generations in a row now. Plus two sets of remakes, in case that wasn't enough. They sure love trying to drive home that point though, don't they? I've got a tip for them: implement a Nuzlocke run feature, and they won't ever need to cram "YOU MUST LOVE YOUR POKEMON" down most people's throats. They'll love 'em even if they hate them.

I'm eyeballing you on this one, Kenny.


	13. Chapter 13

At the edge of the drawbridge, Black caught up with Cheren and Elesa. The woman called somebody and asked that the bridge be lowered so a couple trainers could cross. Whoever she called agreed and lowered it. After telling the pair that she had a modeling gig to get to, Elesa went back to Nimbasa City. This left the two trainers to go on ahead to Driftveil City.

Along the bridge, Black discovered that a shadow would occasionally be cast onto it from a bird flying overhead. And more than once, he caught a feather that had fallen from these birds. They seemed to be of value in battles when he examined them, so he carefully tucked hem into his bag. What surprised Black the most was how many people had already stepped onto the bridge during the short amount of time it had been lowered. He assumed it was a popular sightseeing spot, considering the great view of the ocean it had.

As he continued to cross, he once again spotted a shadow on the bridge, but before he could hurry over to check for a feather, he fell under attack by the very Pokemon that had cast this shadow. It was a ducklett. Using Fairy, Black chipped at the wild one's health until it had been sufficiently lowered. With a single Pokeball, he succeeded in catching it. However before he could give it a name, he spotted another shadow and darted for it. It was only after he had picked up the feather that he realized he had just failed to nickname a Pokemon for the first time since Fenrir's capture. He muttered that he would think on the bird's name until a time came he either needed to use it, or he returned to Castelia City.

Once on the other side of the bridge, he met up with Cheren again, and this time a larger man who introduced himself as Gym Leader Clay. Clay seemed very angry with the two of them, stating that because the drawbridge had been lowered for them, Team Plasma had gotten away from him. He demanded that the two set things right by going after the team themselves. After this, he stormed off. Cheren complained that it was not his and Black's fault and that they shouldn't be punished. All the same he said that they should get to work if they wanted the badge.

Once more Black was left to his own devices. After a quick trip the Pokemon Center, he turned on the dowsing machine and released his team from their Pokeballs. He ran all over the city, taking in what few sights there were. He learned from the locals about the Cold Storage just to the south. He made a mental note to go visit there once he was done inside the city itself. The market was interesting, but anything it had to offer didn't catch him, so he didn't purchase anything. Outside the market however was something that did catch him.

A man was riding along on a motorcycle, muttering something to himself. He appeared to be singing, and Black was going to avoid him, but the man stopped him. He introduced himself as Charles, sort of. Again he was singing, and what he had to say made very little sense to Black. He explained that he had created an entirely new method of battling, called a Rotation Battle, wherein trainers sent in three Pokemon at once.

_"I hardly think you invented it."_ Black thought to himself. _"I've heard that is an official, legitimate way to battle. I doubt some thug who sings to himself while riding a motorcycle beside an open market invented it. That's like that one kid at school who said he invented mixing sodas together, despite the fact that my dad had taught me to do that."_

Despite his inner monologue, Black agreed to a battle. Any practice with this new way to battle was sure to be of help in the future. The man released three Pokemon, a krokorok, a basculin, and a zebstrika. Black chose from his team Fenrir, Ashley, and Maria. The battle proved quite a bit harder than he had thought it would. Charles loved switching his Pokemon around and had nearly wiped out Maria twice. After a second super potion, Black decided it was time to just end things. He rotated in Ashley just as Charles switched to his basculin. With a shock wave, Ashley knocked it out of the battle. Against the krokorok, however, the zebra proved too weak. Before Ashley could be taken out of the running, Black again rotated his Pokemon, this time for Fenrir. The dog did what he did best; completely dominating the battle with his raw attack power. When Charles was defeated, he stated that if Black wanted to do more Rotation Battles, he should go to another city. He had said which, but Black had already drowned him out, disliking his obnoxious singing and far too eager to get away from the man.

Another trip to the Pokemon Center later, and Black decided it was time to go see what the Cold Storage was about. He was surprised at how often his dowsing machine went off. Also in this area he encountered a few trainers, whom he had little trouble defeating. One of them, a worker of the area, gave him a helmet. Kenny seemed far too eager to have it on her head, but Black decided that it would be better if he hung onto it. The item wasn't a bad one, but he hardly saw much use for it at the time.

Further into the area, Black came across a set of tall grass. He stepped into it and wandered around; picking up another item the dousing machine alerted him to. As he made his way back to the road, a Pokemon attacked him. To his delight it was one he had not encountered before, let alone captured. It did however puzzle him how ice cream could be sentient. Maria seemed just as confused when she was told to go and fight it. A single giga drain nearly wiped out half the vanillite's hit points. Praying the cotton ball wouldn't land a critical hit, Black ordered for Maria to repeat the attack. Luck was on Black's side and the wild Pokemon remained alive. Catching it was just as easy as always. This time, Black made sure to name his newcomer. As ice cream was a dairy product, and this one was a female, he named her Bessy. With Bessy safely in the PC, it Black continued to wander the area.

To the very south he once again met up with Cheren. The trainer explained that Team Plasma was in the area, and must have gone inside. Together he and Black entered the building that really made up the Cold Storage. Upon entering however, Cheren seemed overcome by the cold and wouldn't go on. Black groaned and left him to guard the entrance. The floor of the building was slick with ice in many areas, and he found that he had to take a longer route than he had wanted to in order to reach the back. Along the way several workers stopped him to have a battle, claiming it would warm them up. Between Fenrir and Ashley, Black made his way to the back fairly quickly.

Once the way was cleared, Cheren came and met him. There was a large open freight container, and Team Plasma's murmurs could be heard from within. The two young trainers entered. Sure enough, eight grunts surrounded an older man who was complaining about the cold. Black rolled his eyes, and he and Cheren approached the group. The man introduced himself as Zinzolin, one of the seven sages of Team Plasma. The eight grunts stepped forward to defend him, and Cheren stated he and Black should split up to take them down. So Black stepped up to the plate and one after the other wiped out the teams of four grunts.

Around that time, Clay turned up with the workers of the Cold Storage to apprehend the group. They went with him in a surprisingly willing fashion, and Clay congratulated Cheren and Black for their work. He stated that with Team Plasma in custody, the two were welcome to come and challenge him at the gym.

After a quick trip to the Pokemon Center yet again, Black decided it was about time he got his fifth badge. When he approached the gym, a surprise was waiting. Ghetsis was outside with a handful of grunts, asking for Zinzolin to be returned. Clay seemed upset that the men he had caught for trying to steal Pokemon were being asked to be returned. Ghetsis was not all too pleased at the accusations. He explained that Team Plasma was not out to steal Pokemon. Rather, they want to liberate them, and separate humans and Pokemon entirely. Clay was not amused by this. He stepped forward, and stated very simply that while he may not speak very prettily what he said was the honest truth. Ghetsis on the other hand spoke very nicely, but his words were full of lies. All the same, Clay allowed Zinzolin to be returned, and the sage seemed grateful for it. Ghetsis claimed that as they were both sages to their king, they had to look out for each other. Just like that both men and their entourage left peacefully.

Black couldn't help but glare at the group as they left. Having learned that N was the so-called king of Team Plasma, he had to wonder why Ghetsis was always the one he saw being defended by a whole group of grunts. Before he could pursue this train of thought any further, Cheren got his attention. He said that before he would fight Clay, he was going to go and train and left Black to his own.

The young trainer couldn't help but feel annoyed upon finding yet another gimmick in the gym. This time around it was a series of elevators. He had to wonder how this worked when he saw no beams or cables allowing them to move safely, but all the same he played along. The use of ground types in the gym proved difficult when at the time he was attempting to raise Ashley's level. After a battle or two, he fell into a routine of switching her out immediately for Maria, who then devastated the opponents.

As Black ascended and descended, he eventually came to an elevator that possessed walls around most of it. He assumed this was to keep people safe as it lowered down to the bottom where Clay was said to be. As he approached, one final trainer challenged him. As she had been fighting quite a lot, Maria was already well on her way to getting a level. Black did not want to send her into battle this time. Black had Ashley use her pursuit, hoping that she could do this battle on her own. When the drilbur used dig, Black smirked and switched for Fairy, who would take no damage from the attack. Her air cutter brought the mole's hit points down a lot, but its next move was a rock slide. Fairy survived, but was in no condition to continue. Black swapped her for Nuts. The watchog used her super fang attack, which brought the foe down to a critical state. It used hone claws, but Black was confident that he could win.

Black decided then that critical hits would forever be the one downfall he would never be able to get used to and predict. Drilbur's rock slide bowled Nuts over as easily as if she were made of paper. He had barely registered that she had failed when he sent Maria in to finish things up. When the battle was over, he picked Nuts up and returned to the surface to heal his team before taking on Clay himself.

It was only when he had breathed fresh air into his lungs again that the weight of what had just happened hit him. He looked down at the lifeless body in his arms and felt his eyes begin to water. Behind him, Ashley and Maria lowered their heads silently. It was time to say goodbye to yet another friend. Kenny, Fenrir, and Fairy were released to join in. Black thanked Arceus that there was soft earth nearby to lay his friend to rest in. When Fenrir had finished his digging, Black knelt beside the hole. He was silent for several moments. Finally, he hugged Nuts tightly to his chest and let whatever tears he had fall. Kenny and Fenrir both hugged him gently.

When Nuts was lowered into the grave and the soil piled on top of her, Black took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his eyes and cheeks. Everyone but his first two Pokemon were returned to their Pokeballs and Black made his way back to the Pokemon Center. There were many things going through his head, and several things he must do now that he had lost a fourth friend.

"Well Ken, you get your wish." He said softly, producing the HM for cut. "Forget tackle, you're learning this."

Under other circumstances, the otter might have danced for joy, but she too felt saddened as she did as she was instructed to. From the PC, Black withdrew Fall the darumaka, whom before he had considered switching onto the team for Nuts, but had not due to what had happened the last time he had swapped Nuts out. Something tightened harshly in Black's chest. Nuts had just forgiven him for that. She had just given her word that she would battle for him. To protect him. And now…on top of that, the stick of charcoal that had reminded Black of Doomeister was to be given to the Pokemon that finally would replace him as the fire-type. How many times had Black thought about needing a fire-type?

He shook his head. Fall was still far too low a level. It would be some time before she could be useful. Instead of the charcoal, he gave her the exp. share he had had for awhile. It dawned on him that once again he would not be able to go and battle a gym leader when he wanted to. He took another deep breath and prepared himself to spend the rest of the day grinding the newcomer.

"Look after Nuts, Georgette…" he whispered as he left the Center.

_R.I.P._

_Nuts the Watchog_

_Caught: Dreamyard, Level 9_

_Died: Driftveil City, Level 28_

* * *

Right, well, that was...far more...depressing than I had hoped._  
_

First of all, sorry for the LOOOONG delay! Seriously, _Dragon Age 2_ is my new drug, I think. Thankfully as I am about to beat it for a third time, I think I'm almost done with it. So, _so_ sorry about that!

Second, I once again would like to thank _hawkfire111_ for the review. It made me feel even worse about not posting anything for so long every time I thought about it, lol. But that's my own fault, and I do appreciate you always giving such encouraging reviews.

Third, I had every intention of defeating Clay this time around, and perhaps doing a couple of things afterward. I wanted this chapter to be longer than the others to make up for my lack of posting. And then I lost Nuts. That happened...three hours ago? I just...I'm not in any mood to grind Fall right now, which means I won't be defeating Clay just yet, which means I've got nothing else for this fic yet. I would have just put this off for another day or two in order to do those things but...I'm late enough as it is.

And seriously, all that might sound like foreshadowing Nuts' death is PURE FREAKING COINCIDENCE! I swear!

Lastly...what else was I going to say? Oh, I know that usually I have direct quotes and such for important characters. In fact, I was very sad I had none for Clay when he was speaking to Ghetsis. The thing with that is bulbapedia, where I usually get these quotes from, was down at the time of writing this. So I just did my best. Its a shame, I liked the way Clay spoke what he did to that green haired old man. As for the overall lack of talking this time around, it's because I wanted to fit in as much as possible, but not make it a chore to read in one sitting.

Speaking of not making something a chore to read in one sitting, I'll shut up now.


	14. Chapter 14

While out in the Cold Storage area training Fall, Black once again came to appreciate the existence of wild audino. Giving four to six times the experience of other Pokemon in the area, it made grinding much less of a chore. Black was also grateful that Fall was fairly powerful with her selection of attacks. While the occasional double slap would cause Black to have a minor panic attack, she was able to withstand everything and Black would switch her out for another of his team.

The only real problem Black encountered while raising Fall to an appropriate level was how often she wouldn't attack her foe. While she obeyed his commands, she seemed to have a strange habit of becoming attracted to the very Pokemon she was supposed to be fighting. No less than five times, a male audino succeeded attracting her, and once a male minccinos cute charm made her succumb to his good looks. To make matters worse, Fall didn't appear to be sorry for allowing this to happen to her so frequently. Once she was at the same level as the rest of Black's lower-leveled team, he began to train not only her, but the others as well.

It was long after sunset when he decided he had had enough of that. He was still depressed about having lost Nuts, and so he decided to turn in for the night. When morning came, he still felt sad, but knew he had to get a move on and leave Driftveil as soon as possible if he wanted to stop feeling so gloomy. First thing he did was go to the gym, Kenny and Maria both at the ready. Sure enough the elevator he had seen the day before took him deep beneath the surface. Clay welcomed him, stating that he very much wanted to see for himself what Elesa saw in him.

Much to Black's delight, the battle was over very quickly. Against Krokorok, Kenny wiped the floor with a single water pulse. Excadrill proved just slightly tougher, withstanding a water pulse just long enough to use hone claws before being torn apart by her razor shell. Palpitoad was released last, and Maria was switched in just as quickly, cleaning the young frog's clock with her giga drain. Clay was left very impressed with Black's skills. He cheerfully handed over the Quake badge, and told Black to meet him outside of Chargestone Cave near Route 6. He also informed Black that he would give him the customary TM then.

Accepting these terms, Black returned to the surface, gave a short prayer to Arceus for Nuts at her grave, and went to see how Route 6 was. Before he could do much more than lay eyes on it, he was stopped by none other than Bianca, who wanted to battle as they had not done so for awhile. Herdier versus Ashley, pansage versus Fall, musharna versus Fenrir, and pignite versus Kenny. All four fights were over and done within three or less turns. Bianca smiled and complimented Black on how his fighting style really seemed to fit him and his team. Black was puzzled by the hint of sadness in her voice, but as always she perked up again and gave him a gift. It was an HM for fly, and she told him that her father had given it to her, probably so that she could return home whenever she wanted.

When Bianca left Black to go heal at the Pokemon Center, he took a moment to teach the new move to Fairy. With that done, he entered Route 6. To his delight, a deerling was the first Pokemon he encountered. Kenny chipped away at its health using water attacks, and Black once more had a minor panic attack when the deerling used take down on the turn just before he intended to use a Pokeball. Fortunately Arceus must have seen Black's recent loss as enough, and he was able to catch the wild one with a single attempt. He named her Veronica and sent her on her way to the PC. He figured if he ever lost Maria for whatever reason, the new one would make a decent replacement.

He shook his head and berated himself for thinking something like that so soon after what had happened the day before. He pressed further into the route, taking a moment now and then to appreciate the river that ran through the middle of it. He decided Kenny and Fenrir should join him, as well as Fall. He almost regretted doing so when he noticed that Fall had taken one look at the dog and smiled brightly.

"Um…Black…" Fenrir muttered, attempting to hide behind his trainer. "She's scaring me."

Kenny narrowed her eyes and prodded Fall. "This is no time to be making googley-eyes at others. You realize we have to stay vigilant or we could die, right?"

Fall huffed, but stopped staring at the herdier, much to both his and Black's relief. As they explored the route, and fought various wild, and even captured, Pokemon, Black became aware of a fact that disturbed him just thinking about. More than half of the deerling he faced would finish themselves off using take down. While they could be revived easily, he couldn't help but feel queasy imagining how Veronica had nearly been just as suicidal. Forcing himself to stop thinking about it, he entered what looked like a small researching building. The scientists there told him that they were studying the effects of the seasons on Pokemon, and asked that if he ever had the time, they would like him to bring them a deerling during the four different seasons. Black agreed, although he muttered inwardly that it was not likely to actually happen.

Further along the route, he came across what looked like discarded Pokeballs. He was startled when two of them came to life, jumped around, and attacked him. They were wild foongus, and Black laughed at his own mistaking them. Just as any other Pokemon he had encountered on the route, Fenrir defeated them with a few tackles and strengths. When the dog reached Kenny's level, he began to glow and both Black and Kenny cheering as he evolved. Fall blushed as she watched Fenrir shake his head upon finishing.

"Well, this is odd." He stated, looking down at his own moustache. "I like it!" Fall appeared to have said something too, as his next statement was a rather sharp, "You should keep listening to what Kenny told you earlier," to the fiery one. She frowned, but this time she did not take her eyes off of him as they continued exploring.

As they reached the northernmost portion of Route 6, Black spied what looked like the opening of the cave he was supposed to meet Clay at. He could see why Clay had wanted to meet him there. Over the entire mouth of Chargestone Cave was a cobweb, and the air around it felt very static-y. Black decided to sit and wait with his team for the gym leader to show up. It didn't take long, and Black recalled his team when he spotted the man approaching.

"Thanks fer waitin'." The gym leader said, eyeing the cobweb over the mouth of the cave. "Looks like th' nest of an Electric-type Pokemon called Galvantula. Don't know why there's a nest here, but if there are folks havin' problems, th' GymLeader's th' one ta fix it." He plucked a Pokeball from his waist and released the one within. "Krokorok! Take it out!" The crocodile stepped forward and swiftly tore through the electrified web. He returned to his trainer and was returned.

"_Couldn't Ashley have done that with her flame charge? Not like she takes damage from electricity."_ Black thought to himself, but thanked Clay nonetheless.

"And this here TM's yours." Clay told Black, handing it over. He went on to explain what the attack was and what it did. He laughed and said that Black hadn't had a chance to see it in action because of how strong his team was. "I don't know how good you really are, but if ya think ya can go, go wherever, and if ya think ya can do somethin', keep doin' it. Do things how ya want! Decide yer own limits."

He tipped his hat to Black, and the trainer thanked him once more before Clay returned to Driftveil. Black smiled as he turned to the cave he was about to enter. Despite his first impression, he found Clay to be very fair with his treatment and quite friendly. He decided that for the first time, he actually liked a gym leader he had battled against.

* * *

Audino, the best thing to happen to grinding low-level Pokemon since the Exp. All became the Exp. Share and a hold item...

I told you my addiction was almost over! And I meant it! This time around, less happened, but I hope the pacing was more pleasant. Oh and, I'm not joking about how often Fall got attracted to wild Pokemon, nor about the suicidal deerling. Those things were almost as eager to die as voltorbs!

And while I forgot to mark down what my team was like after beating Clay, here's what they are just before my entering Chargestone Cave...

_Kenny the level 32 Dewott- _Cut, Water Pulse, Water Gun, Razor Shell

_Fenrir the level 32 Stoutland_- Tackle, Strength, Crunch, Bite

_Ashley the level 31 Zebstrika_- Spark, Flame Charge, Stomp, Shock Wave

_Fairy the level 30 Tranquill_- Gust, Air Cutter, Fly, Quick Attack

_Maria the level 30 Cottonee- _Razor Leaf, Leech Seed, PoisonPowder, Giga Drain- Holding a Miracle Seed

_Fall the level 30 Darumaka_- Fire Fang, Fire Punch, Thrash, Facade- Holding a Charcoal


	15. Chapter 15

When Black entered Chargestone Cave, his eyes almost immediately fell on N, who was waiting not far in. Remembering the last encounter with him, Black turned on his heel and was about to leave again when two people suddenly appeared beside him. Their faces were covered, and one of them instructed Black to go with them. He didn't have a choice, as they grabbed his arms and dragged him towards N.

"My lord N, we brought the one you wanted." The one said before both people vanished into thin air.

N smiled at Black bewildered expression. "Ah, yes. That was the ShadowTriad just now. Ghetsis enlisted them in Team Plasma. Apparently, they were the ones who prepared the Galvantula nest at the cave entrance." He explained, although it did not help Black whatsoever in determining what just happened. N looked around the cave, taking in stone that glowed with electricity. "Chargestone Cave... I like this place. Formulas express electricity and its connection to Pokemon... If people did not exist, this would be an ideal place. You have been chosen, you know. Does it surprise you I said that?"

"Wait what?" Black asked.

"Hmph." N shook his head, frowning. "If you don't understand what that means, it's not likely to surprise you." He took a breath and went on to tell Black what he had wanted to in the first place, having decided not to explain. "I told Ghetsis about you and your friends. After I did, he apparently used the Shadow Triad to find out about you. Cheren is pursuing the ideal of strength. Bianca has faced the sad truth that not everyone can become stronger." He took a step closer to Black, a puzzled expression crossing his face. It unnerved Black. "And you are not swayed either way-more of a neutral presence. Which is apparently a good thing. Team Plasma will be waiting for you ahead. Ghetsis wants to see what kind of Pokémon Trainer you really are."

With that, N turned and left Black to his own. The trainer watched him leave for a moment before laying his face in his palm and groaning. "I'm _neutral_? What does that even mean? I should probably be worried that N and Team Plasma have been watching me and my friends, along with those Shadow Triad people, but what does _neutral_ mean? I've beaten both of my friends in every last battle they have ever challenged me to. In fact, I've never _lost_. How does that make me neutral?"

As he felt the beginnings of a headache, Black decided it was best not to try and think about it. Instead, he turned his attention on getting through the cave. He remembered being told that Chargestone Cave might seem like a maze, but really was a straight path, if not in the most roundabout way. He looked around for a moment, took a deep breath, and began his exploration.

Not far in, Bianca and Professor Juniper met up with him. Bianca exclaimed that she was playing bodyguard for the professor, and the two of them talked about the magnetic fields of the rocks around them. There were certain stones that floated because of this, and they could be pushed easily towards larger stones with opposing charges. Black gave this a try with a stone that was blocking his path, and sure enough to floated nicely and connected with a large rock protruding from the ground. His friend and the professor left him to his own devices, as the professor wanted to study something deeper in.

It was around that time that Black met the first wild Pokemon of the area. It was a joltik. Kenny whittled down its health before tossing a pokeball. The bug broke free, but Black caught it on the second try. He wasn't sure what use an electric bug would be, should he ever have need to use it, but he named it Squiggles and sent the bug on its way. Only a short time after that Black discovered that the cave was going to prove more of a challenge than any before. The trainers he had fought to far were not tough, nor were the wild Pokemon. What made Chargestone difficult was the sheer amount of wild Pokemon. Every few steps Black would fall under attack. Not only that, but most of his team couldn't hold up well to all the joltiks and klinks. Because of those two Pokemon, along with the occasional ferroseed, Black decided I was time for Fall to walk beside him.

When Black reached a trainer who promised to heal his team, he had never felt so relieved. Fall was holding up, but his stock of super potions had been severed depleted and her attacks were running low. Luckily the trainer was yet another scientist who possessed a klink, and Fall took it out with a single fire punch. When his team was restored, Black determined that it was time to stop fooling around. He dug into his bag for the super repels he had bought awhile ago, but almost never used.

"Aw, c'mon Honey, let me battle some more! I've never had so much fun with so many I've never met before." Fall huffed as her trainer sprayed himself down.

"Have you any idea how close you have come to death? You may be the key to leaving here easily, but I can't keep healing you forever. Not on my own, anyway." Black told her.

She rolled her eyes. "What is with you? That is twice now I have been scolded and told about death. You and the others really are no fun."

Black knelt down beside her. "I should probably tell you this. You came onto the team because the third Pokemon I ever caught fell in battle. She wasn't just knocked out. She's gone, and she will not be returning. More than that, I had another fire type before you. He was a gift. I can never forgive myself for allowing that trainer's Pokemon to die." Fall looked up at him with wide eyes as the realization of the dangers she was facing sank in. "I'm not saying you cannot have fun, but do _not_ be foolish. I like seeing you take out wild Pokemon after wild Pokemon, but I simply cannot allow you to keep doing that. I haven't the potions for it."

Fall looked down at her feet. "Alright Hone', I understand. But you got to let me battle them trainers at least."

"Trainers give me money for defeating them. I wouldn't miss a battle if I can help it." Black laughed, picking her up in his arms, much to her surprise.

Further into the cave, Black came across a long bridge across a pit. He was about to step onto it when the Shadow Triad appeared once more, causing him to jump and stumbled back away from the bridge. There were three of them this time, and once again they instructed Black to go with them before grabbing him by the arms and dragging him with them. Fall objected loudly to the way the three were manhandling her trainer, but they didn't understand and Black was too stunned to do anything.

Once across the bridge, one of the three spoke to Black. "There are stairs going down ahead. Team Plasma is waiting for you there." He said before all three vanished again.

Black stood where he was for a long time. Fall cast a worried look at him, hoping he was alright. Slowly, Black sank down onto his knees and eventually ended up sitting in the dirt. Fall hesitantly reached up and touched her hand to his cheek.

"Sweetie are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"WHY DID THEY HAVE TO ESCORT ME ACROSS THE BRIDGE!" Black shouted. "The bridge was the only way to go that I hadn't already. I already intended to go across it. And it's not like I haven't crossed them before. Heck, I crossed three just earlier today on Route 6! On top of that, I was planning on going to Team Plasma anyway, whether or not they are on the way out of here! Why the hell is the Shadow Triad playing tour guide for me? Don't they have something better to do? Like putting up another Galvantula web?"

His eyes were wide with confusion, and his brain felt like it had just stopped working. Black had dealt with several things that had made no sense before, but this was a new level of ridiculous to him. It was a good ten minutes before he managed to put this mindfuck behind him and get up again. Fall was grateful that he was moving again. She worried that the stress from earlier had not helped Black's current mental state and wanted him to be free of the cave as soon as possible.

Thankfully the rest of the cave proved less damaging to Black's sanity. With the repels no wild Pokemon dared come close, and the trainers were easy to blow through. Even the Team Plasma grunts he eventually encountered. The few times Fall proved a bad choice, Maria was more than able to step in and do the job. The hovered stones that blocked Black's path were simple enough to push aside. All the same, Black breathed a sigh of relief when he saw light coming in through an opening. Even the fact that N was standing between him and it did not bother him.

"Many different values mix together, and the world becomes gray... That is unforgivable! I will separate Pokemon and people, and black and white will be clearly distinct! Only then will Pokemon become perfect beings! Yes, that is my dream! That is the dream I must fulfill! Black, do you have a dream of your own?" N muttered when Black approached him.

Not caring anymore that N was speaking in babble again, Black gave him as straight an answer as his mind allowed him to. "N, I have no idea what you are talking about. Since you've asked, yes, I have a dream of my own. Why else would I be here?"

N smiled once again at him. "You have a dream... That's wonderful. I'll learn just what kind of dream you have-in battle!"

Not caring in the least that this young man who had just challenged him had just been talking about separating humans and Pokemon not seconds before, Black tossed Kenny's Pokeball and sent her in to do batlle against N's boldore. After the rock was defeated, Fall leapt from her trainer's arms and blew through the ferroseed, joltik, and klink that came after.

Once defeated, Black recalled Fall and watched as N began muttering to himself as he did so very well. "Tsk! Why? Is it impossible for me to win while feeling bad about being a Trainer? As if I could pursue my ideals with something as meaningless as a battle! As if that could make me worthy to become friends with the legendary Pokemon!"

"You really have to stop talking to yourself like that. People will think you're crazy." Black said sarcastically. At this point, he really couldn't care how crazy N was. His head still felt strangely from his encounter at the bridge.

Professor Juniper and Bianca approached the two trainers, and the older woman spoke up. "Bianca, you have good ears. I can't believe you heard Black's voice from that far away. Black, who is this trainer?"

N's attention instantly focused on her and he spoke quickly, his voice almost desperate for her to listen. "Professor Juniper, what are you thinking? You appear to have no qualms about the relationship between Pokemon and people. You put Pokemon into categories using arbitrary rules and think you can understand them like that... The very idea of a Pokédex revolts me. What do you have to say for yourself?"

The professor frowned and released a sigh as she spoke to him in a delicate tone. "Oh, my. Looks like you're not my biggest fan. Your opinion is understandable. It happens to be different from mine, which is equally understandable. How about if all people get to decide for themselves how to relate to Pokemon?"

N shook his head and he began to shout. He appeared very shaken and hostile, like a cornered mouse. "You're saying I should just allow people to think whatever they want and treat Pokemon however they want, no matter whether the Pokemon suffer? I refuse to tolerate the existence of a world like that!" Before the professor could say anything else to him, he fled from the cave.

Professor Juniper shook her head. "Well, I didn't expect him to change his mind right away. But I hope he'll spend a little time trying to understand how others feel. Now, then..." She turned attention to Black once more. "I think I'll go collect a little more data. For Pokemon and people to get along better, we need to take steps to learn more about them!"

Bianca told Black she was going to go with the professor, being her bodyguard and all, and hurried after her. Black let out a sigh of his own. He could tell from the amount of light pouring into the cave that the day was still quite young, but he felt exhausted already, both mentally and physically. His supplies had been depleted, and Fall was once again in need of healing. On top of that, N looked like he was not about to forget the way somebody who Black associated with had treated him. As he left Chargestone Cave, Black decided it was probably best if he just relaxed the rest of the day.

* * *

..._Why_ did the Shadow Triad have to escort me across that bridge...? *mind has been thoroughly fucked*


	16. Chapter 16

Black had spent the entire afternoon and evening of the day before in the Pokemon Center. He had his team healed, stocked up on supplies, and generally did nothing. Afraid to ask him why they were taking it easy, Kenny and the others had turned to Fall. The newcomer explained it as stress and exhaustion getting to him. As Black made no attempt correct or add to this, the others accepted it and just enjoyed the quiet time with their trainer.

When morning came, Kenny climbed onto Black's shoulder as the rest of the team was returned. It was time to explore the town and to see what there was to be done in addition to just getting another gym badge. Sure enough, it wasn't long after leaving the Pokemon Center that Black was stopped by two people.

"Oh! Hey! Black right?" An elderly man said, approaching Black. The young woman beside him followed. "Let me see your Pokedex for a moment." With some hesitance, Black handed the device to him. He didn't appear to be a threat, but he was a bit odd. "What do we have here? So, you've found 74 Pokemon, eh? Staggering! You've seen a Klink! You're becoming quite the Trainer. Excuse me! I was a little excited and forgot my manners. My name is Juniper, too! Cedric Juniper. Heh! The professor who gave you the Pokedex is my daughter! That girl has told me a lot about you. It really makes my day to meet you! In honor of our meeting, I'm going to upgrade your Pokedex!" He pulled something from a pocket and fitted it into the device. He did a quick check, and then handed it back to its owner. "Some Pokemon can change forms even when it's the same individual. If you have already seen a form, you can check it with this whenever you want. I also added a function to make searching easier." He explained.

The young woman, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up curiously. "Professor, who's that trainer?"

"Oh! I forgot my introductions!" The old man laughed. "Skyla, this is a friend of my daughter's. Black is traveling around Unova to complete the Pokedex."

Skyla was thrilled to hear this news and spoke excitedly. "Oh, I see! So that means you'll be challenging the Gym! Oh boy! I'm really looking forward to it!"

"That's right, Black. You should challenge this Gym! If nothing else, this Gym is really out there!" Cedric Juniper laughed again. "See you, Skyla. If something comes up again, I'll let you know!"

"Professor, my plane is a cargo plane! It carries cargo, not people! And you're talking as if places like Kanto and Sinnoh are right around the corner!"

"Aww, Skyla. If you keep frowning, your face might freeze like that, and that'd be a shame. People and Pokemon, we all have to help each other out! See you later!"

"Sheesh! It's hard to believe a happy-go-lucky guy like that could be a world-renowned Pokemon professor." The young woman said while shaking her head, although she wasn't hiding her smile from anyone. "Heads-up, Black. As a Gym Leader, I'd be happy to have you challenge the Gym, but there's something I need to take care of first. Just now, as I was flying the cargo plane, I saw something on top of the Celestial Tower. I'm sure that it is a sick Pokemon! If it is, I can't just leave it there! I have to look into this right away. I'm leaving for Route 7's Celestial Tower. You can come along if you want." She said before leaving Black and heading towards the north.

Of course Black would follow her, but he still had the whole of Mistralton City to explore. It wasn't a long exploration, as the "city" was only about as large as Nuvema Town, if one didn't count the runway at the airport. There were greenhouses lining the runway, and the dowsing machine alerted Black to several items buried in the soft earth around them. It was yet another reason he almost always had the device activated. When this was done, he decided it was time to head to Route 7 and the Celestial Tower, as there was nowhere else to look around.

When Black spotted the tall grass outside the city, he cringed. There comes a time in every trainer's life when they look at what lies before them, and all they can think is "FUCK THIS SHIT!" For Black, that time was now. Grinding was important, he knew this, but after Chargestone Cave, he had had it up to _here_ with encountering wild Pokemon. Without another thought, he sprayed himself down with a super repel and began wandering about. A series of narrow raised platforms lead over the grass, and Kenny eagerly hopped off his shoulder to run along them. As she was not needed for any immediate battles, Black let her play as he was challenged by several trainers, defeating them one by one.

It wasn't until Black heard the tell-tale sound of an audino rustling in the grass that he realized this was a new route. The super repel had kept everything else at bay, which turned out to be a good thing as the likelihood of catching anything new here was very low. Audino however was indeed new. Kenny understood this without a word having to be said, and she brought down the wild Pokemon slowly and steadily. It was caught with minimal trouble, and was given the name "Sasha".

A bit further down the route, Black came across a small cottage. A man inside offered to trade his emolga for a boldor. Having none in his possession, Black declined. Upon leaving the cottage, Kenny asked him, "Would you have traded with that man?"

Black smiled at his friend. "Not a chance! What would I need another electric type for, anyway? Ashley's wonderful. Besides, a rock type is something I am rather lacking."

Satisfied, if not a bit pleased, with his answer, the two pressed on. Another trainer approached Black with a battle. To his surprise, it was a rotation battle. Fairy, Ashley, and Fenrir were all sent in to do battle against the foe's liepard, watchog, and swoobat. Fairy and Fenrir proved unnecessary. As if proving Black's claims, Ashley mopped the floor with all three thrown at her. Fairy and Fenrir cheered her on, along with Kenny, to which she merely gave a smile. When the battle ended, she was rewarded with a hug from her trainer before the three were returned to their pokeballs.

The Celestial Tower loomed just up ahead, but before Black went to it, he stopped by another small house on the route. This was owned by a small family, and he was invited to rest awhile in their home. He took them up on the offer, and allowed his team to take a quick breather. While he was relaxing, he did a little chatting with the residents. They seemed friendly enough, especially the elderly woman who was busily cooking lunch. Her husband told Black that "since her yammering stops while she's cooking, it's another bonus for me." After leaving the place, both Black and Kenny agreed that it was nothing short of a miracle that that man had married such a sweet woman, what with the way he appeared to treat her.

A few trainer battles later, including one which pitted Fall against yet another suicidal deerling, Black had reached the Celestial Tower. He was surprised to learn that this was the place where the dead were said to rest. At least, for Pokemon it was. Wondering briefly if he should stop to pray for his lost friends, Black made his way up the tower. More trainers were encountered, and more trainers were defeated. A litwick had been the first Pokemon he came across, but through a miscalculation of Kenny's power, it was knocked out. The otter apologized, but Black only sighed and chalked it up to still more inexperience on his part.

One battle in particular struck Black as a bizarre stroke of luck. Bad luck. In this, the tower where the spirits of fallen Pokemon rested, another one joined their ranks. About halfway up the tower, a Pokefan and her swadloon had managed to pull off an unexpectedly strong hit to Maria. Black finished the battle, picked up his fallen friend, and released a long, pained sigh. His eyes watered and he retreated to a somewhat more private spot on that floor, where he sat down with his back against the wall. While he did feel like crying, and he could clearly feel his body trying to, he did not. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Once again, he had lost a sweet little girl, but this time he was in no position to mourn her loss properly. Bottling up his emotions as best he could, he returned the cottonee's lifeless body to its pokeball. Kenny seemed to understand, wiping away her tears and following Black as obediently as ever.

Only minutes later, a nurse he had defeated in battle offered to heal his team. Black relinquished five of his pokeballs. When she asked if he hadn't a sixth, Black shook his head. The nurse had seen his battle beforehand, so she knew what had taken place. Although she could revive the cottonee, Black had chosen not to for whatever reason, and she did not press the issue. Black was thankful for this.

On the next floor up, and the last before the top, Kenny once more put a smile on her trainer's face. Seeing her evolve for a second time was something Black saw as a miracle in itself. She was too large to fit on his shoulder now, something they both joked about for a bit. Her prized shells were replaced with a sword-like one atop her head, and she spent a few seconds swinging it about in the air. When she was satisfied that she could work with the awkward change, Black returned her to her pokeball.

High atop Celestial Tower, Skyla had been waiting for Black. She greeted him with a smile, something he returned.

"Oh, you came. Thank you!" she said cheerfully. "I was right. What I saw was a hurt Pokemon. Don't worry, though! It's fine now! I gave it a Max Revive, then it felt better and flew away! Hee hee!" she looked up towards the sky, smiling happily. "Don't I have great eyesight? No matter how far away things are, a Pilot's eyes can see them!" She seemed to remember something and returned her focus to Black. "Oh, that's right! Since you've come this far, why don't you ring the bell?" she lead Black up towards a large bell that hung above the top of the tower. Black's eyes widened in awe at the sight of it. "Celestial Tower's bell is for soothing the spirits of Pokemon. Also, the character of the person ringing the bell is reflected in its sound." She explained. "Come on, don't be shy!"

Black took a few hesitant steps towards it, only to receive yet another cheerful smile and giggle from the young woman. He placed his hand on the rope, and closed his eyes. In his mind, he could clearly see those he had lost. Georgette's wagging little tail, Doomeister's wide grin, Sherman's large heart-shaped nose, Nut's crossed arms over her chest, and now the soft whiteness that had been Maria. A tear rolled down Black's cheek, surprising him. He removed his hand from the rope, causing Skyla to ask what was wrong. Black ignored her, instead releasing his team. The lack of Maria, mixed with the look on Black's face was all that was needed for everyone to understand what had happened.

Black rang the bell once, his team bowed their heads, joining him as he prayed silently. _"Arceus, look after me. Look after my Pokemon, my friends. Look after those I have lost, those I may lose in the future."_ He rang the bell a second time. _"Georgette, Doomeister, Sherman, Nuts... I miss you all. Look after each other."_ He rang the bell a third and final time. _"Maria, I hope you have already made friends with those I failed before you."_

Behind him, Skyla wiped a tear from her own eye, although she had not heard what Black had said. Black rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning to face her again. She smiled kindly at him and his Pokemon.

"What a pretty sound. Black, you are a kind and strong person. It's that kind of sound." She told him. She straightened herself up and spoke in a clearer voice now. "I'd like to introduce myself again. I'm Skyla, the Leader of Mistralton's Pokemon Gym. I use Flying-type Pokémon. When you are ready, please come to the Gym. I'll give you a big welcome!"

She gave him a thumbs-up and went quickly on her way back down the tower. Black followed after her, but stopped when he reached the ground floor. The people who worked there did not ask questions when he requested that a grave be made available to him. Fenrir dug it open for him, and Black laid Maria to rest there. He would have to return later and do something for those who could not be buried there. As it was, he still had a gym leader to defeat, and most of a day to do it.

Bessy the vanillite joined the party.

Being shot out of a canon was not something Black had planned to do on an afternoon. Being shot out of several canons to reach a gym leader whose gym lay at the end of an airport runway was not something Black had ever planned to do ever. All the same, this is what ended up happening. For some reason, Skyla and the trainers in her gym seemed to associate the feeling as being the same as what a flying-type Pokemon felt in flight. If that was true, Black had to wonder how Fairy wasn't constantly screaming in terror.

The battle with Skyla herself wasn't anything truly spectacular. Between Ashley and Bessy, her Pokemon were taken down with minimal effort. As per usual, Black was rewarded with a badge and a TM. Afterwards, Skyla informed Black that on her last flight over Twist Mountain, which was on the way to Icirrus City, she saw what looked like Team Plasma heading that way. Black thanked her, and after being shot out of a canon one last time, made his way out of the gym.

He wasn't sure if he was really surprised or not to find N waiting for him outside. The young man was leaning against the side of the building and smiled when he came out. Deciding it was best to get this over with, Black allowed him to approach.

"They may say it is for understanding one another better, but what Trainers really use battles for is to compete... And they hurt each others' Pokemon! Am I the only one who finds this terribly painful?" He asked.

Black shook his head. "Listen, it isn't that I don't understand what you're getting at, but Pokemon like to battle, you know." He stated.

N didn't seem to like his response. "Whatever... I'm going to talk to your Pokemon. I've been living with Pokemon since I was born, so it's easier for me to talk with them than with people. ...Because Pokemon never tell lies."

Black shrugged. "Go for it." He released Bessy, whom he couldn't yet understand. The ice cream cone was worried when N knelt down to speak with him, but Black gave a nod that it was okay.

"Hey, Vanillite. Would you tell me what kind of Trainer Black is?" the green haired young man asked.

Bessy gave him an answer, and Black watched N's face, curious as to how he was going to react. N nodded a few times, and appeared rather pleased when Bessy finished what he was saying.

"OK, OK, got it. So Black was born in Nuvema Town, lives with his mom, and was given the Pokedex to start off a journey to see the world." N repeated, receiving a nod from the ice cream. Black was surprised at the knowledge his new Pokemon had of him, and even more so that the little thing was so willing to say as much as he did. N stood up again and spoke to Black now. "Still, this vanillite trusts you for some reason. That's good! If every person and Pokemon cared about one another like you two do, I could watch over the future of people and Pokemon without having to liberate Pokemon from people who just use them."

Black picked his Pokemon up and gave him a quick hug before returning him to his pokeball. N watched this fondly before turning away and shaking his head.

"Ghetsis is using Team Plasma to search for some special stones-the Light Stone and the Dark Stone... These stones hold the essence of two legendary Pokemon. It is said that when they lost their physical form, they fell into a slumber and were transformed. Now, they wait for the hero's arrival... I shall resurrect a legendary Dragon-type Pokemon from one of these stones, and become its friend. That will show the world that I am the new hero. Everyone will follow what I say!"

The young trainer sighed. "You know N, for a moment there you were starting to sound like a perfectly rational person. It was kind of refreshing. But it's good to see you are back to normal again. Truthfully I was afraid I was going to have to be worried about you."

N frowned at him. "My vision is to change the world without using force." He explained. "Trying to change the world by force will just make others resist. If people resist, the ones that will be hurt are the innocent Pokemon used by foolish Trainers. You understand. Pokemon are not just tools for people to use!"

"And now you are sounding perfectly rational again." Black muttered. N chose to ignore it this time.

"As a result... Pokemon and Trainers who care about one another, like you and your Pokemon, will be separated. And that does break my heart a little." He confessed. Without another word, he left Black alone again.

"_I can't tell if that guy is a nutcase or just very misguided."_ Black thought as he made his way to the Pokemon Center.

When he returned to Route 7, Black received a phone call from his mother. She asked how he was doing, and if he was taking good care of his Pokemon. When Black told her that he was doing his best, she sounded satisfied and wished him well. He decided that he shouldn't tell her of those he had lost. Not yet. He didn't want her to be more worried than she already was.

_R.I.P._

_Litwick_

_Met: Celestial Tower, Level 27_

_Died: Celestial Tower, Level 27_

_R.I.P._

_Maria the Cottonee_

_Caught: Pinwheel Forest, Level 14_

_Died: Celestial Tower, Level 33_

* * *

__So much to say, so little energy to say it with. So I'll start off with the "thank you"s. Again, thank you _hawkfire111_ for the reviews. And thank you _ruby5602_ for the many, many reviews. I'd give better replies but, I don't feel up to it right now.

Suicidal deerlings. It's a thing now. Only this time it used a jump-kick, missed, and dealt 50% of its max HP in damage to itself. Seriously, deerling are the Gen V equivalent of voltorbs.

And it turns out that Bessy is male. I remembered that wrong...oops. I would have used Carol, or "Captain" ShinyPants, or Veronica in place of Maria, but those three have such bad movesets! Which is something I've noticed about nearly all grass types outside of the starters. You see, typically I have a rather rigid team set-up. A grass-type, a fire-type, a water-type, a flying-type, an electric-type, and the sixth being whatever I feel like. So I actually HAD this team for a short while. But thanks to disgusting movesets, I again must break that in favor of something more usable. Nuzlocke Challenge: making you use Pokemon you probably never would otherwise.

Last but not least, what my team is like as of defeating Skyla!

Kenny- Level 36 Samurott- Cut, Water Pulse, Aqua Jet, Razor Shell

Fenrir- Level 36 Stoutland- Tackle, Strength, Crunch, Bite

Ashley- Level 35 Zebstrika- Spark, Flame Charge, Stomp, Shock Wave- Holding Magnet

Fairy- Level 34 Unfezant- Air Slash, Air Cutter, Fly, Quick Attack- Holding Sharp Beak

Fall- Level 34 Darumaka- Fire Fang, Fire Punch, Flare Blitz, Facade- Holding Charcoal

Bessy- Level 30 Vanillite- Icy Wind, Mirror Shot, Avalanche, Taunt- Holding Exp. Share (Soon to be Nevermeltice)


	17. Chapter 17

Battling his way through the rest of Route 7 was simple enough, something Black had done all too often. He had to stop briefly to finish playing catch up with Bessy's level. When this was done, he made his way towards the base of Twist Mountain. Not surprisingly, Cheren caught up to him and wanted a battle. Once again, Cheren lost. As he once more begins to wonder it is to be truly strong, Alder leaves the cave. He comments on how nicely the two battle, which bothers Cheren a lot.

"Oh, honestly, Cheren. Just accept the compliment without stinging remark. I've asked you this before, but what do you plan to do after becoming strong?"

Cheren hesitates before beating around the bush and saying he really does not know. The only thing he can think of it to become even stronger.

"Hmmm... You remind me of Marshal. Of course, having something you want to become is important. But what is even more important is what you do with your newfound power." Alder states. He retrieves a couple of items from his pocket and gives them to Cheren and Black. "Anyway, take this! Here-you, too. If you use the move Surf, you can travel over water. I shall see you again, young Trainers. Don't forget about the needs of the Pokemon at your side!"

As he wanders off, Black pockets the item. Cheren goes on and into Twist Mountain. Black follows after him. Inside, Black is surprised by a young cubchoo. He manages to capture it, and names it Blue.

"That thing would have been very cute, if it didn't have snot dangling from its nose." He mutters. His thoughts are interrupted by the voices of his friend and someone else. A quick check and he find Cheren conversing with Clay. Black is momentarily delighted to see somebody he's actually come to respect in this region, before realizing that Clay somehow made it here before him. He isn't allowed to ponder this as he is brought into the conversation.

"What a surprise. Seein' ya here while I was inspectin' Twist Mountain. Th' two of ya seem a bit more rugged than the last time I saw ya. A li'l bit, anyway..." Clay says, smiling down at the two.

"Thanks." Black chuckled.

"By th'by... You folks seen that Team Plasma crowd lately? After all the trouble, we Gym Leaders met up and had a chat. But we've got no clue where they are. It's like they're hidin' under a rock. Well, not much to do but wait for 'em to move."

"_Wait, didn't Skyla say they were heading this way…?_ Black thought.

"Anyhow, this's none o' yer concern. Squirts like the two of ya should just enjoy travelin' with yer Pokemon. Twist Mountain's a fine place to explore! You'll have some fun if you just leave this here path... Weeell... Better ya just see it yerself, 'stead o' listenin' to me yammer. Be seein' ya, sprouts! Feel free to train yerselves on my mountain fer as long's ya like."

As he leaves the two alone, Cheren says he'll go on ahead while he continues to think about what he's been told. Black gives a shrug and delves deeper in. To his surprise, the mountain opens up into what looks like a snow-filled crater. Traversing the place isn't particularly tricky, but the many caves and paths confuse Black for awhile. Unlike Chargestone, however, he's able to enjoy exploring, having stocked up on many, many repels. The trainers in the area provide him with a good amount of experience, and in doing so both Fall and Bessy have the pleasure of evolving. At the exit, Black finds Cheren again, this time talking to a couple of Team Plasma grunts. He tunes out most of what is being said, until the grunts leave and Cheren speaks to him. Cheren tells him that he wants to stay behind the mountain for awhile. Not really caring what his friend does at this point, Black goes on ahead to Icirrus City.

Cedric, Professor Juniper's father, is there. He asks if Black has ever heard of Dragonspiral Tower.

"Now I have." Black tells him, preparing himself for yet another speech.

"OK. Give this story a listen. Dragonspiral Tower is said to be the Unova region's oldest building. Stories say it's the place where legendary Pokemon came to life or where they remain in deep slumber. I know it's just past Icirrus City, but that's all I know about it. That's all anyone knows, because no one has ever been inside. My daughter has wanted to investigate that tower for a long time." He then says in a mocking, 'womanly' tone, "'What! There's something I don't know?!' That kind of feeling is pure adventure. And I'm not too old for some adventuring. Away I go to have a look at Dragonspiral Tower! Catch you later!"

As Cedric leaves, Black begins exploring the city. Like Twist Mountain, it was covered in snow. There wasn't much to see, even inside the houses. One place he came across had him dragged inside by a woman, whose husband and daughter set him to a trivia question. He was asked which Pokemon was the unevolved one that changed each season. Knowing this to be deerling, Black was given a free antidote. After leaving that house of loonies, he headed north towards the tower. There he was attacked by a male fighting Pokemon called a mienfoo. Just as many times before, he captured it, named it Lee, and sent it on to the PC. Black then decided to get in a few more levels before the day was over. While grinding, he remembered he had been given the surf HM. As his team was present, he asked which of them could learn it.

"Well, I can. But was there any doubt?" Kenny asked.

"I can too." Fenrir stated.

"Wait…you can surf?" Black asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Fenrir barked cheerfully. "Dog-paddle!"

Black and the others groaned, save for Fall who giggled.

"What?" he asked.

And so it was decided that Kenny would be the one to surf. When the day was up, Black gathered his team and returned to the Pokemon Center for the night.

First thing in the morning, Black went straight to the gym. The slick icy floor provided a maze-like set up where Black had to slide around to reach the gym leader. It wasn't difficult, and was actually a bit fun, although Black couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he was able to build up more speed before stepping on the ice.

When he reached the leader, Brycen, Fall proved to be more than a match. Just as Clay's team had been curb stomped by Kenny and Maria, Brycen's was taken out by Fall's flare blitz attack. Badge and TM gained, Black left the gym. Outside, Black is met by Cheren and Bianca. They seem a bit troubled by something, and once again Black finds himself tuning them out. Suddenly Brycen storms out of his gym and demands that somebody show themselves. Sure enough, the Shadow Triad appear from thin air. They say that Ghetsis wants to test Black's strength, telling him to go to Dragonspiral Tower, and that N is waiting for him there. The others seems to panic and head off to get there. Bianca stays behind.

Outside the tower, Cedric is giving Brycen and Cheren the rundown on what had happened. They head in first, and Black groans. Bianca catches up, and says that she'll stay and guard Cedric. Not caring at all what she does, Black goes inside. A druddigon attacks him first. While technically speaking, the grass outside is classified the same as the tower, Black once again chooses to capture this one, as the inside and outside hold very different Pokemon. When caught, Black chooses to name it Leaf, as its wings look like leaves.

When Black reaches the first set of stairs, the tower shakes. On the second floor, he climbs onto broken columns to reach the next set. Higher floors are more annoying to navigate, as they involve leaping over gaps and traversing narrow walkways. Near the top, Black catches up with Cheren and Brycen. The two appear to be holding back several Team Plasma grunts, and Black proceeds ahead of them. Sure enough, there are more to be brought down further on. Kenny happily tears through them. On the second to last floor, a man named Giallo orders the four grunts who had been guarding him to attack. This time, Fenrir is sent out, and the dog makes short work of them one after the other. Be it the ease of how his Pokemon handled them, or the disturbingly blank expression on Black's face, the five moved aside and allowed him to pass.

At the top, N stand before Zekrom.

"What do you think, Black? How do you like the powerful form of the Pokemon who appears before and fights beside the hero that will lead the way to a new world?" he asks, turning to see Black as he approached. "Now, Zekrom and I will head to the Pokemon League and defeat the Champion! This will be the last of the Pokemon battles that hurt Pokemon so. A world for Pokemon alone... It's finally going to be a reality."

Black shook his head. "N, you're going about this the wrong way. Have you yourself not said that there are trainers who are good to their Pokemon, that they should not have their taken away?"

N frowned at him. "If you want to stop me, you must become a hero as well! That's right! When Zekrom's counterpart, Reshiram, recognizes you, we will finally be even, and then you can try to stop us!"

"No, seriously N, what you're doing right now is batshit crazy, even for you!" Black snapped.

"Well, what will _you_ do? My prediction... If the future that I see is true, you will meet Reshiram. The Pokemon with you believe in you so strongly... Will you be the one who interferes with my formula for changing the world? If you want to protect the bonds between Pokemon and people, you must search for Reshiram! I'm sure it is waiting for you in the form of the Light Stone."

Zekrom takes flight, swooping down momentarily to pick N up. The two fly off toward the Pokemon League. Brycen and Cheren make it to the top just moments too late to see this. They're confused, but decide it best to get out of the tower first.

Outside, Brycen, Cheren, Cedric, and Bianca. When Reshiram is brought up, Bianca is confused that there would be two legendary dragons. Alder arrives. Having heard her question, he confirms the existence of the white dragon. He mentions the Relic Castle, and Black decides he has heard enough.

"Everybody SHUT UP!" he shouts, causing them all to go silent. "Relic Castle, right? The fuck are we standing around here talking for?! Stay or go, discuss ancient mythology or not, contemplate the surface area of a spork or don't, I'm not sticking around to listen to all this! If you want me, you can find me at the Relic Castle!"

With that, he releases Fairy and heads for Nimbasa City.

* * *

Gettin' real sick of all this jabbering going on...

I went and got the NeverMeltIce and the Mystic Water before doing all this. But it really wasn't exciting, nor did it seem important enough to include in the actual writing.

Also, my team just after beating Brycen is as follows!

Kenny the female Samurott- Level 40- Cut, Water Pulse, Surf, Razor Shell- Holding Mystic Water

Fenrir the male Stoutland- Level 40- Tackle, Strength, Crunch, Bite- Holding Silk Scarf

Ashley the female Zebstrika- Level 40- Discharge, Flame Charge, Stomp, Shock Wave- Holding Magnet

Fairy the female Unfezant- Level 40- Air Slash, Air Cutter, Fly, Razor Wind- Holding Sharp Beak

Fall the female Darmanitan- Level 41- Fire Fang, Fire Punch, Flare Blitz, Hammer Arm- Holding Charcoal

Bessy the male Vanillish- Level 40- Icy Wind, Mirror Shot, Avalanche, Ice Beam- Holding NeverMeltIce


	18. Chapter 17 Part 2

When Black arrived at Nimbasa City, it was getting late. He left Fairy out of her Pokeball and began to head for the desert. He stopped by the entrance to the amusement park. The last time he had been there was when N had dragged him onto the Ferris wheel. He cringed. While he didn't exactly dislike N, but thinking about him and what he was currently doing put him in a particularly bad mood. Not that he wasn't at the breaking point already. On a whim he went in. He made his way to the back, where the wheel was. There were couples lined up to get on, but there was a little girl standing around near the line.

"It's already cold out. It would be so fun if it snowed." She mused. She saw Black standing and looking at the ride, and approached him. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Do you wanna go for a ride?" She looked at the line and something dawned on her. "Oh, I get it." She grinned. "You can't ride 'cause you're all by yourself!" She giggled. "They don't let you ride this Ferris wheel by yourself."

The memory of he and N going on together washed over Black again and he blushed. "Well, that's not awkward." He thought.

"Hey! I know what! I thought of something!" The little girl cried out with glee. "I don't have anything to do until my dad comes back… We could play and have a Pokemon battle, if you want? If you play with me, then we can both ride the Ferris wheel!"

While Black had far more pressing issues, he found it hard to turn the little girl down when she was giving him such a hopeful stare. "Alright, I'll play with you."

"You will? You want to play with me?" the little girl giggled with joy. "I'm happy! Fun! Fun! Let's battle!"

The little girl's team consisted of a single solosis, whose level was almost half that of Fairy's. Once more Black had to feel guilty about battling somebody so young, but Fairy didn't appear to have a problem with the friendly engagement. A single attack and Black was the winner.

"Wow! Wow! Great! You're so strong!" the little girl cheered. "That was fun! Thank you! I knew you'd be strong 'cause you're big! My dad is very strong in Pokemon battles, too! But, he's been busy working, so he doesn't play with me." She frowned momentarily before perking right up again. "But you're gonna play with me! Next, let's ride the Ferris wheel!"

Having seen their battle and heard their talk, the couples around them and the attendants of the ride didn't bat an eye at the strange pair. As their box began to gain altitude, the little girl got more and more excited. She stood up from the seat and pressed her face against the glass. She looked out at all the lights of the city, and kept exclaiming how high up they were, and how fun it was.

"Yay! That was cool!" she said happily as they got off. "Did you have fun? It's been a while since I had fun. My dad doesn't take me anywhere lately. He just comes home and sleeps. So, I try to have fun here by myself until my dad comes back. Let's play again sometime!" she told Black before running off to find somewhere else to play.

Black watched her go. She was lonely, that much was obvious. She wanted somebody to play with. Somebody to…? How long had it been since he had just relaxed with his Pokemon? Black thought about the time he had spent in Mistralton City after the stress had gotten to him. No, more than that, when was the last time he had just had his Pokemon out and with him? The only ones who would remember that who he still had were Kenny, Fenrir, Ashley and-

"OUCH!" Black shouted, having been pecked on the cheek by Fairy.

"Why are you spacing out?" Fairy asked him.

"Oh, sorry." Black apologized. "I was just thinking…do you even know Fall and Bessy?"

"Sort of."

Black shook his head. "That just won't do." He released the rest of his team. The lot of them seemed puzzled by this. "Guys, forget what I said earlier. This business with the legendary dragons can wait. We haven't relaxed in awhile. Fall, you know what happened the last time I let the stress get to me like this. Well, this time I may have taken my rage out on my friends. I ignored them, I shouted at them; I cut them off and left them behind. I may be able to battle, but my heart is far from being into it. So…let's take a break. Nimbasa is full of things to do. Let's go do them."

The whole team perked up at this.

"YAY! Hey, Black, I'm too big to be on your shoulder, so you ride on my back!" Kenny laughed.

"Aw, and here I thought he could ride on me again." Ashley teased.

"Thanks for the offers, but I can walk." Black told them.

"Fenrir darling, want to ride the Ferris wheel with me?" Fall asked.

The dog took a step back. Kenny smirked and pushed him into the darumanitan's arms and she hurried off to get in line with him. "HELP ME!" Fenrir shouted, only to be answered by playful laughter from the others. Fairy remained perched on Black's shoulder, but settled down and looked like she was going to sleep. Black couldn't blame her, as she had flown him all the way there.

Bessy looked about and frowned. "What's there for me to do?" he asked.

"Hey there, buddy." Black smiled. "Sorry about that." He knelt down by the vanillish. "I probably would have heard you sooner. Forgive me?"

Bessy seemed confused by this. "I guess I do?"

"Well, whether you do or don't, for the rest of tonight, and all of tomorrow we're relaxing."

"C'mon, let's go play!" Kenny told Bessy, picking him up and tossing him onto her back. Bessy shouted from surprise, but was soon laughing with delight as Kenny bounded around the amusement park.

Ashley remained beside Black. "Somebody has to make sure you don't get into any trouble while we're resting." She teased him when he gave her a puzzled look.

"Alright. If you insist." Black smiled.

* * *

Remember that thing awhile back where I said Black's thoughts are my own and such? Yeah, this is related to that. While doing the last chapter, all the talking between characters drove me crazy. It was boring to play, and it just went on and on and on. Not to mention the grinding I had to go through sucking up my enthusiasm.

I want to thank _ruby5602_. Your review for the last chapter was spot on. This game has been sucking my brain dry, and right now all I can think about is getting through it. THIS DOES NOT MAKE FOR GOOD WRITING! So I want to apologize for that last chapter. I really do. I'd say I'll eventually go back and fix it up, but really…that's just more work and right now that isn't something I need on my plate. If it gets fixed up, it does. If it doesn't, well then it reflects how little I cared for that part of the game.

And with all that said, I AM TAKING A BREAK! I said before I was going to try and keep these weekly, and we all saw how well that went. Truth is other things have been after my attention. So I am going to take a break from this game and this fic while I tend to those other forms of entertainment. I will get back to it soon enough and I will finish it. So stay tuned, stay patient, and I promise better work next time!


	19. Chapter 18

I'm BAAAAAACK! I might still go and combine the previous two chapters into one, as well as re-write them a bit to make them better. _MIGHT_. Anyway, more notes at the bottom as always. Enjoy?

* * *

It had been more than a day since Black stormed away from Cheren, Bianca, and the others. During their day off, Fall and Fenrir had ridden every ride Pokemon were allowed on, Kenny and Bessy had been allowed any and every treat that caught their eye, and Ashley and Fairy patiently strolled around with Black. Time had passed slowly, but pleasantly. When the time came for Black to finally go to the Relic Castle, rather than returning his team to their balls, Black climbed onto Ashley's back and the whole lot of them went together. He wasn't expecting there to be anyone there, as it had taken him so long, so he was surprised to see Cheren pacing in front of the place. The other trainer sent a sharp look to Black as he dismounted.

"…I'm not sorry." Black said plainly.

"Of course you aren't." Cheren grumbled. "We ran into trouble on the way here. Team Plasma was slower than we thought. Alder is inside. You should go in after him."

Without another word Black pushed passed his friend and went inside. Cheren let his friend's team go in before following suite. After making their way passed the quicksand and down the stairs, the two were met by one of the sages who said his name was Ryoku.

"Ghetsis told us that once again we should test how much power you have. We will see if you can defeat Team Plasma! Go! Hurry and fall through the flowing sands!" He told Black.

"See if I can defeat Team Plasma? How many times has my team kicked your ass?" Black asked. Kenny and Fenrir both bared their teeth and growled. The others shifted as well, ready to battle should the command be given.

"Come on, Black, let's go." Cheren stated.

With caution Black stepped past Ryoku and he and his friends made their way down into the castle. The grunts throughout the lower levels were torn apart by Black's team, Cheren watching quietly the whole way. At the bottom, Alder and Ghetsis were waiting. Black prepared for yet another battle, but Ghetsis only smiled at him.

"It looks like everyone is here. It seems you are working hard to resurrect Reshiram,the other Dragon-type Pokemon, aren't you? But it appears the Light Stone you seek is not here."

"You two. Come here... Come to my side." Alder told Black and Cheren. The two did as he said and stood beside him without hesitation.

"Well then, congratulations are in order! Black, you were chosen by our king. If you truly desire to keep the world as it is, where Pokemon live alongside people, you must bring the other Dragon-type Pokemon spoken of in legend and battle with our king. Otherwise, Team Plasma will steal every Pokemon from every person in the world and release them all!" Ghetsis announced, spreading his arms wide.

"Release them, you say? Do the Pokemon who live with their Trainers actually want that? Is the liberation you talk about really just stealing Pokémon from people?" Alder snapped.

"No one is taking me away from Black!" Kenny shouted.

"You'd have to kill me first." Fenrir stated proudly.

"I can't leave Black, not until I know he and my friends won't get into trouble." Ashley smiled.

"Somebody has to sit on his shoulder." Fairy mumbled.

"Sorry, Black is my darling and I am not going to leave him." Fall grinned.

"I'm not getting taken away, either!" Bessy announced.

Black smiled fondly over his shoulder at his team. Ghetsis, while not understanding anything the Pokemon had said, knew they were voicing their objections to his plans and frowned.

"What's this? Champion Alder, even though illness took the Pokemon that had been your partner for many years, and you haven't had a serious battle in all that time... Even you, who ordered the Elite Four to protect the Pokemon League and left to wander the Unova region alone... Even a Champion like you now wants to protect a world where Pokemon and people live together? Team Plasma's king will show the people of Unova that he is stronger than a Champion who keeps Pokemon bound! And just like the hero who founded Unova, he will be accompanied by the legendary Pokemon. He will give this order! 'Trainers, release your Pokemon!' For this, we have prepared a suitable castle for the legendary Zekrom and our king!" Ghetsis announced.

"I won't lose! I'll fight for all Trainers who love their Pokemon, and for all Pokemon who believe in their Trainers!" Alder replied.

"How _could_ Alder lose? I've defeated N every time we've met. It was easy." Black added.

"Our king has no interest in you. He has already determined that victory against you is assured." Ghetsis told Alder.

"So you stayed behind to just tell me that? Just to make a fool of me?"

"Of course not. I'm doing this out of kindness. Yes, kindness. I'm making sure the Champion doesn't get hurt for no reason. Granted, the moment when someone loses all hope... I really do love to watch that moment. Well then, farewell."

Without another word, Ghetsis stepped passed Alder, Black, Cheren, and Black's team. When he was out of earshot, Alder addressed the two young men with him.

"Hmmm... It seems my only choice is to return to the Pokemon League and battle N. But it bothers me to do exactly what Ghetsis wants... More importantly, what should we do about the Light Stone?" he asked.

"Do you think we could talk about this outside?" Cheren asked. "It is stuffy down here." Black rolled his eyes.

"Yes...that's a good idea. It's hard to breathe in here!" Alder agreed.

"And there's a sandstorm raging outside." Black told them.

He was out voted, however, and the trio made their way back upstairs. Once outside and into the harsh weather, they stopped to think about their next move. Alder mumbled mostly to himself about what N could possibly want. Cheren was silent, probably thinking the same thing. Black meanwhile returned his Pokemon, not liking that they would have to be exposed to the stinging sands otherwise. It was then that Black received a call. It was Professor Juniper, who was shouting in excitement to the point where Black had to hold the xtransceiver away from his ear. All she told him is that he should go to Nacrene City and then hung up. Alder heard her clearly and said he will go on ahead. Cheren on the other hand stated he will stay behind to look round there some more; that he didn't want to believe what Ghetsis said. More than tired of his friends making stupid decisions and being in denial, Black released Fairy and flew on without him.

Outside the Nacrene City gym, Alder, Juniper, Cedric, and Bianca were waiting. Black arrived just in time for Lenora to come out carrying what they all agreed must be the Light Stone. Lenora states that it was found in the Relic Castle, and that she and her husband just thought it was a pretty stone. As Black took the stone, Alder asked him if he was really up for taking on N.

"Did you not hear me before? I have defeated N every time we have battled. I'm not about to lose to him now. And neither should you. With or without Reshiram, N is not going to succeed. The guy may be nice, and may have an interesting way of looking at things, but he is a nutcase to the core and he will be stopped." Black replied.

It was then that everyone present became aware that they had no idea how to awaken Reshiram. As they talked amongst each other, it was decided that Black should go on ahead to Opelucid City, get his final badge, and speak to the gym leader there, who was a dragon-type trainer. Juniper and Cedric said they would continue to research on their own, and Alder went on ahead to the Pokemon League to meet with N should things get that far. Lenora and Bianca were left to their own devices, and Black returned to Icirrus City.

As he made his way along Route 8, Black came across a female shelmet, whom he captured and named Vivian. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever use the Pokemon he had stored in the PC and grimaced when he remembered that he still lost his friends even this late in the game. He pushed the memory of his lost friends aside as he discovered another small area to explore. The Moor of Icirrus was covered in swamps, and Black was forced to climb onto Kenny's back in order to get anywhere.

"Just think, Black, when we started all of this together, I rode on your shoulders." Kenny laughed as she swam through the murky waters.

Black smiled at that memory. "Now that you mention it, this is kinda funny. You know, you're still my best friend. You and Fenrir."

"What about the others?" Kenny asked, worried.

"Of course they are my friends!" Black chuckled. "I wouldn't ask them to battle for me if they weren't. But you and Fenrir are different. I feel like I can count on the two of you for anything."

"Be sure to share that with him, then." Kenny smiled fondly.

Their moment of small-talk together was interrupted by a wild Pokemon attacking them. It was a female stunfisk. Black opened his mouth to give orders when he realized her level was much lower than any of his team's. Cursing the Pokemon's low level, he dug around in his bag and produced an Ultraball, which he hurled at the Pokemon. The first ball broke, but a second one did the trick and Black quickly decided to name the Pokemon Foppy, as for some reason it reminded him of a small enemy in an old video game he enjoyed. Once he and Kenny had explored the rest of the relatively small area, Black had Fairy fly him once more to Icirrus City where he healed his team again before moving on to Opelucid.

* * *

Once again the quality of this chapter is probably sub-par. For that I do apologize. However, I have not touched this game since my hiatus. This chapter is all stuff that I had made notes on and had planned to write earlier. I cannot promise the next chapters will be much better. I still cannot bring myself to enjoy the game at this point, but I really do need to finish it. I hate that I am in this state of mind, but it is the truth. That might change, it might not. We'll see.

Thank you _hawkfire111_ for your reviews as always, even if there was not much for you to say. And hello to new followers, I wish I could give you better content. XD


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